Dalmatic

This vestment, called a dalmatic, is made of thirteenth-century textiles and was used at Roda, in Spain, as a garment for a cleric. Made of red, white, and blue silk threads woven with gold, it was further ornamented with panels of tapestry. In the wake of the Gregorian reform, even members of the lower clerical orders such as deacons began to wear splendid vestments. As they put on each layer of clothing, they said prayers to remind them that each piece of clothing signified a virtue. (Museum of Costume and Textiles, Barcelona, Spain / Ramon Manent / The Art Archive at Art Resource, NY.)