Secular Priest

This figure is one of a set of 50 dressed to represent the outfits worn by Catholic religious orders. They are made of tow (hemp) with wax heads, hands and feet. They were probably made in France, as they are labelled in French, but some of the orders represented were only active in Germany and the Netherlands.

This figure represents a Secular Priest. In the Catholic church, secular clergy do not belong to a religious order, and live in the world, rather than in a monastic order. However, they remain bound to Canon law, such as celibacy and obedience. This figure wears the typical outfit of a secular priest, which is a black soutane (also called a cassock) fastened with a leather belt, under a black cloak and worn with a white collar and black tricorn hat. The soutane is still worn by many Catholic priests in the early 21st century.