The history of the Capuchin habit dates back to 1208, when Saint Francis of Assisi decided to apply literally the passage of the Gospel about the sending out of the disciples, and hence to wear a cross-shaped tunic that he cut out himself with a cord around the waist, as a real pauper. This was the model of the habit for the first Friars Minor, very often mended and held together by various patches, with a cord around the waist and a hood sewn on or separate. Saint Francis died on the 3rd of October 1226 and some of his authentic tunics have survived to the present day. This “documentation” soon gave rise to the discussion amongst Franciscans about the Saint’s true habit, especially with regard to the hood, which the Capuchins wore in a pointed shape in the belief that it was the original intention and that the rounded hood of the Conventuals was a modification.
Photo: Feather Skin
A discussion that increased during the 17th century and was resolved only through the intervention of the Holy See. In the case of the Capuchins, the habit has identified the order ever since 1531, when the particular hood, cappuccio in Italian, led people to call the friars Cappuccini or Capuchins. The habit was required to display the absolute poverty and was made of cheap, coarse material. Its production and use were governed by strict regulations laid down as early as 1536 in the order’s first Constitutions. Every friary was required to make its own habits and special wooden models were created in order to avoid differences or variations and ensure uniformity. Precise regulations were also laid down for the beard, the hood, the cinture (simple cord with three knots recalling the vows of obedience, chastity and poverty), the rosary, the cloak, the sandals and the skullcap. Precious documentation about the history and evolution of the Franciscan habit over the centuries is provided by the rich Franciscan iconography, including the seals used as an official symbol and for propaganda purposes as well.
Source
Information panels in the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Rome.
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