Church Vestments: Their Origin and Development

Church Vestments: Their Origin and Development represents the most comprehensive and meticulously researched study of the development of Christian ecclesiastical garments. A noted authority on the subject, author Herbert Norris begins his study with the earliest days of Christianity in ancient Rome, where church vestments hardly differed from everyday dress. He then traces the invention and development of clerical attire over the centuries until the end of the 1400s. What sets this study apart are the over 270 illustrations supplied by the author, detailing the alb, cassock, chasuble, mitre, and the countless other components of a priest's attire. The student or scholar of ecclesiastical vestments will find this book an indispensable resource.