Appendix 2: On the cappuccio

Here it is proven that the habit that our Father Saint Francis wore with all the Order the Capuchin Congregation wears now

In the beginning the newness of the habit, especially the pointed cappuccio, was a great surprise to the entire world, both to Religious and seculars. Hence there were different opinions going around. Some said, “Until today men have never seen this kind of Hermit before; nor has this way of dressing ever been seen among Religious. Therefore it must mean one of two things. Either these are holy men or they are the worse hypocrites who have taken up this habit in order to deceive the world.” Others said, “These men have been great sinners, murderers and men of bad lives. God has touched their hearts to do penance for their sins.”

Because of this the poor Friars endured a great struggle to have them believe that they were Friars of Saint Francis and that Saint Francis himself, together with all the Order used to wear this shape of habit. Not only the simple and common people unable to understand this novelty of the habit, for neither did the Lord Cardinals and His Holiness. This was the reason the poor Capuchins endured a great struggle to be able to ask a Bull from His Holiness in order to live with this habit in the true observance of the Rule. To the others it seemed like introducing a monstrosity into the Church of God. However as it please our Lord God the very best example was given them by those first holy Friars, because everyone saw them humble and despised and that they had put the world beneath their feet in such a way have trampled upon all ambition and pride. For they delighted in nothing more than to suffer for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. The poor fellows went barefoot summer and winter, poorly dressed. They ate little and slept little. Because of this they were pale in the face so that they looked like exhumed corpses. They despised all the things that delight self-indulgence. They didn’t want to receive anything from seculars except for that which supplied for their strict necessities of nature. They bore such reverence for the Priests and Prelates for Holy Church that when they saw them, they immediately went down on their knees and kissing their hands with great reverence. Because of this they acquired great devotion towards them. When they saw this custom and their perfect contempt for the world, some of those who at first held them in suspicion had such devotion towards them that one considered himself blessed if he could receive them into his house. They were so cherished by the Prelate of Holy Church that they were able to obtain very easily all that they desired. It was the same for the seculars. When they saw their very good example, their holy conversation and their great reluctance to accept their alms such as meat and other extras, they all proclaimed them all as saints. Even though they did not for sure that they were Friars of Saint Francis, nonetheless they believed everything they said because of the great devotion that they had towards them.

Everyone knew within a short time that this had been a work of God. The ancient pictures helped them very much to understand the shape of the habit, even His Holiness. Certain great personages among his close acquaintances showed him the images of Saint Francis, Saint Anthony of Padua and other Saints of the Order. These mosaic images were in a alcove in Saint John Lateran and had the habit with the pointed capuccio that the entire Order wore in ancient times. His Holiness had to say, “Now it is clear from these images that what the Capuchins say is true. Saint Francis wore that habit.” He took great pleasure from this. This was Paul III, of happy memory. Another time he came to Perugia on his way back to Rome. He took his lodging in Todi and in St. Fortunato he was shown a brocaded pallium with little images of many saints of the Order, all with the pointed cowl. Because of this the matter of the habit of the Capuchins was clarified for His Holiness. The benefited us greatly because His Holiness was the one who gave us the Bull after Clement and he always favoured us.

From then everyone came to understand that this is the true habit of Saint Francis. Even modern painters now depict the Saints of the Order with the pointed cowl. For in all the old churches they see Saint Francis and the other saints of the Order with the very same habit, just as I have seen. And anyone can see it in the old churches of Rome: in Saint John Lateran, in Saint Mary Major. In Saint Sylvester where the Nuns are there is an old chapel with Saint Francis and many other Friars around it. In Pescia in Tuscany, in the friary of Saint Francis, there is a detailed life-size icon of Saint Francis with twelve of his companions. They all have the pointed cowl. It is seen in the same shape in the monastery at Castiglione Aretino. The Fathers there say that the painter saw Saint Francis in the flesh and he depicted him life size. In the upper Church of the Convento in Assisi where the body of our Father Saint Francis is, there are painted many stories of some of the more notable things our Father Saint Francis did along with many Friars. They all have the pointed cowl. At Alverna all the figures of Father Saint Francis and of his companions are with the pointed cowl. In some of the important old churches throughout Christendom where there are images of Saint Francis and of the old Saints of the Order they are with the pointed cowl.

The habits kept as relics also give us confidence as can be seen clearly in the habit in which Father Saint Francis had the stigmata. This is reserved in a place of honour in Florence. Furthermore the habit that Lady Jacoba di Settesoli made is reserved in the Convento in Assisi. I have seen it unfolded and have measured the cowl at two spans and the point about eleven palms wide. The cowl of Blessed Rufino can still be seen in the monastery of Saint Clare in Assisi. It is like ours. At Saint Simon’s in the city of Spoleto the habit of Blessed Simon of Contessa can still be seen. All these are made from coarse and lowly cloth with pointed cowls exactly as the Capuchins wear.

The Chronicles of the Order also add to our confidence. They say that up until Brother Michael of Cesena the entire Order wore the pointed cowl and more than a hundred years.

Therefore it is obvious that the habit the Capuchins wear is the true, ancient habit.

The Venerable Father Don Peter Calzolaio da Bugiano of the Congregation of Saint Justina composed the Cronica Monastica. He says he has found in the ancient Chronicles that the habit the Capuchins now wear is the true ancient monastic habit. He says furthermore that Saint Benedict and all the ancient monks wore the pointed cowl, tan coloured.

I have also spoken with a Venerable Father of the Order of Saint Dominic who told me that in the priory at old Viterbo he has seen a painting of Saint Dominic with the point cowl. It is an ancient image.

Hence it may be concluded that the capuchin habit has been common to all the ancient Religious. This can be seen still in the very noble Order of Carthusians who also wear it. Almost all Religious swear it on their backs. And it is reasonable that those early Fathers and Founders of the Orders who founded their Orders in the greatest austerity would take up austere habits of coarse, lowly and undyed cloth. Therefore that Don Peter says that the meloti of those mentioned in the Vita Monastica were short mantles that the Monks wore. Saint Francis wore them too. Although our Father Saint Augustine may have been before Saint Benedict, he was not before monastic life nonetheless. His writings in the Confessions give us confidence too. He was in Milan just before he was converted by Saint Ambrose. He said he heard about the death of Blessed Anthony and he said these beautiful words: “The unlearned rise up and take heaven by storm, etc.” This was because monastic life began before Saint Basil and Saint Benedict although these two Saints later gave better shape to monastic life with their Rules, therefore taking up no other habit than the ancient monastic habit. Therefore it is not to be believed that when Father Saint Francis converted to religious life that we would take up a different habit to the ancient religious habit because it would have been a novelty.

If you were to ask me what all the different kinds of habits of varying colour and shape mean in the Church today I would say that the many reforms that have happened in the Orders have caused it. This can be seen in the Order of Saint Augustine. More than twenty Orders and Reforms go under his Rule. The same goes for the Order of Saint Benedict, the Congregation of Carthusians, of Saint Justina, Of Mount Olivet, of Saint Bernard, the Silvestrines, of the Congregation of Vall’Umbrosa and others who all go under the Rule of Saint Benedict with some differences in their institutes. However the variety of habits come from this. For although there is same Founder and just one Rule, nontheless becaue they are ditinguished by the Reforms that had happened. Therefore in order to avoid confusin Holy Chruch has provided for this with distinctin of habit both in shape and in colour so that they can be recognised what Order they belong to according to their habit. However in the beginning, since there was not other Order of Saint Augustine and of Saint Benedict such a variety of habits was not needed. Colour alone was enough to distinguish one Order from the other. However some say that Saint Augustine made the Order of Canons Regular and the Order of Hermits who live more strictly. When Saint Dominic came and took up the Rule of Saint Augustine it is credible that he would also take up the habit. With Saint Dominic wearing the pointed cowl it is also plausible that the Hermits wore it and that in this the holy Religious of that time were the same regarding the shape of the habit. They were only differentiated by colour in order to be recognised. It is also very likely that because they were all united in charity and because they all loved one another as brothers that they would also be united by the shape of the habit, all fighting under the standard of Jesus Christ. He did not want division among Christians. But in order for to belong to one Father, God wanted us all to love one anther as brothers.

I have given this discourse to make it known to all those who say the Capuchin habit is something new and that it is neither the habit Saint Francis nor of those ancient Fathers, but conceited vanity. They are truly deceived for the aforesaid reasons. However I submit in this and in all things to the Holy Church and to sounder judgement. And all this may be said out of charity without offence to anyone.

To the praise of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.