Rucaviţe

The rucavite or the manecute (cuffs) are accessories of the stiharion that are meant to bind together the two large sleeves on their lower side, so as not to disturb the motions of the priest during certain religious services. They are attached to the sleeves of the original garment - like a sort of cuffs - with the aid of a string going through a series of holes. The name ‘rucavita’ derives from the Slavonic word ‘rikavita’ meaning ‘small sleeve’. It can be made of various types of fabrics, embroidered with golden, silver, and coloured-silk threads. In exceptional cases, the garments are adorned with pearls, or other precious stones.

Also known under their Greek name ‘epimanikia’, which denotes the way they should be dressed: over the sleeves, the rucavite usually have a single iconographic scene, the Annunciation, the two characters of the composition being embroidered together or separately - that is the archangel Gabriel on one cuff and the Holy Virgin on the other. Quite frequently, though, these accessories are decorated only with simple floral motifs and with the sign of the cross.


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