English
GermanSurplice, Cotta and Rochet
It was originally a long garment with open sleeves reaching nearly to the ground, as it remains in the Anglican tradition, but in the Roman Catholic tradition, the surplice often has shorter, closed sleeves and square shoulders and is referred to with the Medieval Latin term cotta (meaning 'cut-off' in Italian), as it is derived from the cut-off alb.
The surplice originally reached to the feet, but as early as the 13th century it began to shorten, though as late as the 15th century it still fell to the middle of the shin, and only in the 17th and 18th centuries in Continental Europe did it become considerably shorter. In several localities it underwent more drastic modifications in the course of time, which led to the appearance of various subsidiary forms alongside the original type. For example:
- the sleeveless surplice, which featured holes at the sides to put the arms through
- the surplice with slit arms or lappets (so-called "wings") instead of sleeves, often worn by organists today, due to the ease of maneuvering the arms
- the surplice with not only the sleeves but the body of the garment itself slit up the sides, precisely like the modern dalmatic
- a sort of surplice in the form of a bell-shaped mantle, with a hole for the head, which necessitated the arms sticking out under the hem.
The surplice forms part of choir dress for the laity, deacons and priests. It is worn together with a stole (or optionally in the Anglican Communion it can be worn with a black, for clergy, or blue, for readers, preaching scarf / tippet.) In addition in Anglican choir dress an academic hood may be worn.
Bishops do not wear a surplice or cotta instead a bishop in the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Old Catholic and some Lutheran traditions wears a rochet. It is unknown in the Eastern Churches. The rochet is similar to a surplice, except that the sleeves are narrower. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the rochet comes below the knee and its sleeves and hem are sometimes made of lace; in the Anglican tradition, the rochet comes down almost to the hem of the cassock and its sleeves are gathered at the wrist.
