Stand Alone Pages on 'Musings of an Old Curmudgeon'

03 January 2019

Word of the Day: Faldstool

FALDSTOOL. A movable folding chair used by a bishop at formal liturgical ceremonies. Other prelates who enjoy the privileges of full pontificals may also use it.
✠✠JMJ✠✠
No, it's not a 'regular' folding chair like in the Church hall! It is similar to a camp stool, and may come from the curule chair of Rome. In the Roman Republic, and Empire, the curule chair (sella curulis, supposedly from currus, "chariot") was the seat upon which magistrates holding imperium were entitled to sit. This included dictators, magistri equitum, consuls, praetors, curule aediles, and the promagistrates, temporary or de facto holders of such offices.

Here is a faldstool on display in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy.


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