TIARA

in Roman Catholicism, a triple crown worn by the pope or carried in front of him, used at some nonliturgical functions such as processions. Beehive-shaped, it is about 15 inches (38 cm) high and is made of silver cloth and ornamented with three diadems, with two streamers, known as lappets, hanging from the back. The tiara probably developed from the Phrygian cap, or frigium, a conical cap worn in the Greco-Roman world. In the 10th century the tiara was pictured on papal coins. By the 14th century it was ornamented with three crowns. The tiaras of Renaissance popes were especially ornate and precious, but those worn by some popes contained no precious stones. A tiara is also a semicircular headband of jewels or ornate material worn by women.