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The epigonation is worn by all [[bishop]]s, and as an [[Clergy award|ecclesiastical award]] for some [[priest]]s.<ref>Hapgood, Isabel F. (1922), Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church (5th ed.), Englewood, NJ: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese (published 1975), pp. xxxviii</ref> Its origin is traced to the practice of Byzantine Emperors awarding ceremonial swords to their military commanders in recognition of their valour in defending the empire. Such swords were often accompanied by elaborate thigh-shields which were suspended from the belt and protected the leg from bruising caused by the constant bumping of the sword against the thigh. When the emperors began to give awards to the clergy, the thigh-shield alone was awarded.<ref>Sokolof, Archpriest D. (1917), A Manual of the Orthodox Church's Divine Services (3rd (re-edited) ed.), Jordanville NY: Printshop of St. Job of Pochaev, Holy Trinity Monastery (published 2001), pp. 32–33</ref/>

The vestment is a stiff, lozenge shaped cloth that hangs on the right side of the body below the waist, suspended by one corner from a strap drawn over the left shoulder. In the Russian tradition it is an award for service; in the Greek tradition it is usually a sign that the priest has an advanced academic degree and a blessing to hear confessions. If a Russian priest has been awarded both the [[nabedrennik]] and the ''palitza'', he shifts the former to the left side. It is considered to symbolise the "sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17); that is to say, the wearer's defending of the faith by smiting all that is impure and vicious.<ref>Sokolof, Archpriest D. (1917), A Manual of the Orthodox Church's Divine Services (3rd (re-edited) ed.), Jordanville NY: Printshop of St. Job of Pochaev, Holy Trinity Monastery (published 2001), pp. 32–33</ref/>