Sakkos of the Ecumenical Patriarch Neophytos VI

The sakkos is the most commonly used hierarchical vestment in the Eastern Church, deriving -like other ecclesiastical vestments- from the imperial wardrobe. In shape, it resembles the dalmatic of the Western Church. It is a short tunic with wide half-sleeves, consisting of two square pieces sewn together at the shoulders and joined at the sides with bells. Initially, it was only worn by the Patriarch at the three most important feasts of the year (Christmas, Easter and Pentecost), but after the fall of Constantinople its use has been extended to all bishops. The sakkos of Neophytos IV, Ecumenical Patriarch (1688-1689), is made of white taffeta, with the hemline and the shoulders embroidered with gold thread. Its decoration consists of of long stalks that end in flowering foliage, arranged in a variety of ways, representing one of the finest examples of european embroidery that rivals the art of painting.