How did Russian Orthodox monks and nuns dress in the 16th century?

by Venikton

I have found information on the dress of current monks and nuns of the Russian Orthodox Church, however I do not know how far back this dress goes.

keeshava

Orthodox ritual clothes haven't changed much through the years. To get the general idea, just google "Sergiy Radonezhskiy" (famous Russian monk of the late XIVth century) or "Raskol" (The Great Schism of the XVII century). Come to think of it, the XVIth century wasn't even that spectacular for the Orthodox Church.

Monastic garments differ a lot depending on monk's position in church hierarchy. However, some of the higher-ranked monks would sometimes wear simpler clothes, such as the above-mentioned Sergiy Radonezhskiy.

I am not sure if I'm allowed to attach several pictures on this platform, so I guess I'll describe it in a written form.

Cassock, or podryasnik, is a long fitted coat worn at almost every occasion and is not even considered a ceremonial garment. Usually, a monk would wear a black cassock, but they were sometimes allowed to wear other colors such as brown or dark blue while at home or working monastery fields. Over it, a simple leather belt.

Skufia is a monastic cap of a simple conic shape (somewhat similar to medieval Russian helmets), filling the place of Jewish kippah. It is also worn almost universally, however, there seem to be much more liberty concerning its material and decoration. Skufia was oftentimes decorated with river pearls (since Russia is short of sea pearls but quite rich in freshwater ones cuz there is plenty of large freshwater rivers and lakes) or embroided prayers and regilious symbols. It was often made of wool or fur-trimmed to be a bit warmer during severe Russian winters.

Sorry I have to stop here, will finish later...