The Papal Tiara is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown of Byzantine
and Persian origin that is the symbol of the papacy. Papal Tiaras were
worn by all popes from Pope Clement V up to and including Pope Paul
VI, who was crowned in 1963. Though Pope Paul VI abandoned the use of
his own tiara during the Second Vatican Council, symbolically laying
it on the altar of St. Peter's Basilica, he did not abolish the
tiara's use, explicitly requiring in his 1975 Apostolic Constitution
Romano Pontifici Eligendo that his successor be crowned. Though not
currently used as part of papal regalia, the papal tiara's continuing
symbolism is reflected in its use on the flag and coats of arms of the
Holy See and the Vatican. In a controversial break with tradition,
Benedict's personal coat of arms does not show a tiara in the
ornaments; it being replaced by with the papal mitre, though the mitre
does contain three levels reminiscent of the three tiers on the papal
tiara.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_Tiara
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1615:
Forces under the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu took Osaka Castle in Japan.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka_Castle)
1792:
Captain George Vancouver claimed Puget Sound for Great Britain.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puget_Sound)
1920:
The Kingdom of Hungary was split into five countries with the signing
of the Treaty of Trianon in Paris.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Trianon)
1942:
The Battle of Midway began with a massive Imperial Japanese strike on
Midway Atoll.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway)
1989:
PRC military units cracked down on the Tiananmen Square protests in
Beijing.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance." -- Socrates
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Socrates)