Societas Heraldica Slovenica	about the SHS about heraldry membership roll of arms heraldic resources developments home ecclesiastical arms
roll of arms     personal arms     ecclesiastical arms     municipal arms     institutional arms     historical arms heralds & artists Ecclesiastical arms? These arms are associated with religious bodies (called "ecclesiastical" from the Greek ekklesia, a church). The Church was the first institution to use corporate arms and it has continued to do so to the present day. This practice is almost universal in Europe. The arms are used most extensively by the Roman Catholic Church. Personal ecclesiastical arms can be used to indicate rank of the individual in the church. The shield is used in the usual way but there is no crest. In its place is what is known as an "ecclesiastical hat" and bears cords which end in a number of tassels (varying from one to fifteen). The combination of colour of the hat and the colour and number of tassels indicates the rank of the individual, from a priest to a Cardinal Archbishop. visitors since Jan 14, 2005
	Societas Heraldica Slovenica © All rights reserved    Released: Feb 10, 2005Updated: Oct 20, 2007