An Explanation of Byzantine Priests Vestments

Many people who first attend a Byzantine Divine Liturgy may notice the differences between the vestments the Priest wears at Divine Liturgy and what their Priest wears during Mass. Over the millennia, the Church has developed many traditions locally as to what priests wear when celebrating the Liturgy. In the Byzantine tradition, Priests wear vestments which developed out of the court dress of the Byzantine Empire. The image below shows a detail of all parts of a Byzantine Priest's vestments.