Editing Phelonion (section)

=== Polystavrion ===
Originally the bishops wore a phelonion identical to that worn by priests and it could be of any solid color. Starting before the 11th century, a special phelonion, called the ''polystavrion'' or ''polystaurion'' ("many crosses") phelonion developed for certain prelates, and it was made of cloth that was either woven or embroidered with a pattern of multiple crosses.<ref name=":0" /> The oldest surviving sources depicting the ''polystavrion'' as used by bishops are certain manuscripts from the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Woodfin |first=Warren T. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/714724958 |title=The embodied icon : liturgical vestments and sacramental power in Byzantium |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-959209-8 |location=Oxford [Great Britain] |pages=21 |oclc=714724958}}</ref> The first author to mention it, Joannes Zonaras, declares its use was allowed not only for the four Orthodox patriarchs (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem), but also for the [[Exarch|exarchs]] of the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Patriarchate of Constantinople]], that is the bishops of Caesarea, Ephesus, Thessaloniki, and Corinth. On the other hand, early depictions of the ''polystavrion'' tend to suggest that it was restricted to patriarchs.<ref name=":1" /> The twelfth century canonist [[Theodore Balsamon]] deemed it strictly reserved for the patriarch. No polystavrion has survived from the Byzantine period, and it was gradually supplanted by the ''[[sakkos]]''.<ref name=":0" /> In his writings around 1400, [[Symeon of Thessalonica]] allows it to be used by all metropolitans.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Woodfin |first=Warren T. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/714724958 |title=The embodied icon : liturgical vestments and sacramental power in Byzantium |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-959209-8 |location=Oxford [Great Britain] |pages=23 |oclc=714724958}}</ref> Between the 12th and 15th century, the polystavrion obtained great importance, and is often seen in monumental paintings and frescos.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gerstel |first=Sharon E. J. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/40347435 |title=Beholding the sacred mysteries : programs of the Byzantine sanctuary |date=1999 |publisher=College Art Association in association with Universary of Washington Press |isbn=0-295-97800-7 |location=Seattle |oclc=40347435}}</ref>

The polystavrion was the first case of vestement that differentiated the rank of a see. Before, the highest ranking patriarch and a rural bishop would have both worn the plain phelonion with the [[omophorion]].<ref name=":2" /> Strict enforcement of who was allowed to wear the polystavrion was exemplified by a 1370 letter from [[Philotheus I of Constantinople|Philotheus I]], Patriarch of Constantinople to Aleksei [[List of bishops and archbishops of Novgorod|bishop of Novgorod]] in which he prohibits Aleksei from wearing it, since the right to wear the polystavrion was given to Aleskei's predecessor as a personal favor.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Woodfin |first=Warren T. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/714724958 |title=The embodied icon : liturgical vestments and sacramental power in Byzantium |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-959209-8 |location=Oxford [Great Britain] |pages=25 |oclc=714724958}}</ref>

The polystavrion was initially developed as a symbol of higher rank, but gradually was extended to all bishops. This phenomenon was later repeated with the sakkos and the mitre, which also started off as worn only by the highest-ranking patriarchs and then trickled down to the rest of the hierarchy.<ref name=":0" />