Textiles and Ceremonial of the Greek Orthodox Church under the Ottomans: New Evidence on Hil‘ats, Kaftans, Covers, and Hangings

The following article builds on recent scholarship investigating the ceremonial use of textiles by the Greek Orthodox Church under the Ottomans. While previous publications concur about the impact Ottoman aesthetic had on ecclesiastical material culture, one subject that still remains relatively obscure is to what degree were the church and court’s customs synchronized. In an attempt to address this question, previously unexploited textual sources on hil‘ats (robes of honor) and kaftans will be discussed, illuminating their use and meaning in the Greek context. The second part of the article is dedicated to non-sartorial textiles: liturgical covers and hangings, which are analyzed in relation to the different expressions of Ottoman aesthetic they present, as well as the information they provide on the similarities between church and court practices. Although far from exhaustive, this article aims at illuminating some of the still unknown paths that the Greek appropriation of Ottoman culture took in relation to ceremonial textiles.