Klobuk

A klobuk is an item of non-liturgical clerical clothing worn by Orthodox Christian monastics and bishops. It is composed of a kamilavka covered with an epanokamelavkion (veil).

In the Greek and Arabic Churches, all bishops regardless of rank wear an identical plain black klobuk. Generally speaking, metropolitans in the Slavic Churches wear white klobuks, while bishops and archbishops wear black ones. Archbishops who have been awarded this honor and metropolitans also wear a small jewelled cross on the front of their klobuk. This is not the case, however, in the Churches of Serbia and Bulgaria, where metropolitans use black klobuks, and the white klobuk with the jewelled cross is reserved for the first hierarch of the Local Church (but in the Bulgarian Church, metropolitans may also be awarded jewelled crosses for their klobuks). The practice of Bulgarian Church coincides with that of the Church of Romania.

The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' wears a white klobuk that is rounded on top, decorated with embroidered images of seraphim, and surmounted with a cross. This is sometimes called a cowl in English, although this is inexact. Also, the Archbishop of Karelia and Finland wears a white klobuk as head of an autonomous Church.