Stoles

The stole is a distinctive compulsory component of the deacon’s sacerdotal attire, without which no deacon of any rank is allowed to serve mass. It is made of a piece of flaxen, cotton or silk fabric, about three metres long and eight to twelve cm wide, embroidered in vegetal and symbolic motifs, or with seraphim faces placed along its length, accompanied by the words “scared sacred sacred” either in Greek, Slavonic or Romanian, depending on the century of its creation. During the religious service, the deacon wears a stole over the surplice draped over the left shoulder, under the right arm and again over the left shoulder, one end hanging loosely to the front and the other to the back. The stole, in this case, according to John Chrisostom, symbolises the wings of the angels.


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