Cowl
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:''This article is about the '''garment''' used by monks. For other uses, see [[Cowl (disambiguation)]] or [[Cowling (disambiguation)]].''
[[Image:Kovelklein.JPG|thumb|100px|right|A Roman Catholic monk wearing a cowl]]
[[Image:Tikhon of Moscow.jpg|thumb|100px|left|St. [[Tikhon of Moscow]] wearing the patriarchal white koukoulion]]
[[Image:Cowl_%28PSF%29.png|thumb|100px|left|Drawing showing a cowl as it is worn over the head]]
The '''cowl''' (from the Latin, ''cuculla'' meaning "hood") is a hood worn by members of religious orders. It also refers to a long, hooded cloak, with wide sleeves, worn by some [[Catholic]] and [[Orthodox]] [[monk]]s when participating in the [[liturgy]]. Developed in the [[Middle Ages]], they became the formal garment for those in [[monastic]] life. They were worn to give warmth to people who often spent long hours in unheated and drafty churches.
They are most commonly bestowed upon the monk at the time of his making solemn, or lifetime, [[monastic vows|vows]]. They are generally worn in conformity with the color of the monk's [[tunic]], with the [[Benedictine]]s wearing black, and other groups which follow the [[Rule of St. Benedict]], e.g., the [[Camaldolese]] and [[Cistercians]], wearing some form of white. [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]] also wear black cowls. The cloak, with a hood, is also worn by [[nun]]s, in the same manner.
Some orders which are not part of the [[Benedictine]] tradition do not make use of this cloak. However, the [[Franciscans]], [[Carthusians]] and Dominicans all wear cowls.
Among the Eastern Christians ([[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Byzantine Catholic|Byzantine Catholics]]) the cowl developed into the ''koukoulion'' worn by monks of the [[Great Schema]], the highest degree of monasticism in the Eastern Church. Currently the
''koukoulion'' is of two types: one is similar to the hood still worn by some Western monastic orders, the other takes the form of a stiff rounded hat (like a [[bowler hat]] without a rim) to which is attached an [[epanokamelavkion]] (veil with [[lappet]]s). The koukoulion is usually embroidered with crosses and the [[Instruments of the Passion]]. The ''koukoulion'' is also worn by the [[Patriarch]]s of some of the [[autocephalous]] Orthodox churches.
==Popular culture==
The weekly student-run newspaper of [[Providence College]] is called ''The Cowl''.
[[Batman]]'s mask is usually referred to as a cowl, as in the 1960s TV show.
==See Also==
*[[Burqa]]
*[[Chador]]
==External links==
* "Cowl" [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9026676/cowl Encyclopaedia Britannica] (Including photo of Franciscan monks wearing cowls)
* "Cowl". [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04463a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia], Volume IV, 1908
* "Carthusians" [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03388a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia], Volume III, 1908
[[Category:Monasticism]]
[[Category:Catholic religious life]]
[[de:Kukulle]]
[[nl:Kovel (kledingstuk)]]