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Between 1160 and 1250 roughly European Orders began to codify their habits. Whereas before certain orders had always shown a preference for certain colours, yet each cloister had its own habit, some even going only
so far as to prescribe dark and somber colours for their inhabitants, which led to the dark greens, reds and blues we can see on the sisters from Odilienberg in Herrad von Landsbergs “hortus delicarum”, and
which must have been quite expensive. After 1250, however, the orders had arrived at the colour schemes that they are still wearing today, and which we would recognise as monastic habits.
Careful research showed that the order of the Praemonstratensians was not only active all over Europe during that period, but did also grow rapidly due to its popularity, and the first communities of
Praemonstratensian nuns were founded at that time. It was a so-called “reformed order”, where the monastic rules were enforced rather strongly. We can therefore assume that the colours prescribed for the members’
habits in the monastic rules from the founding of the order were strictly adhered to, and were the same as they still are today.
The garments worn, however, might not have been the same as today, and were definitely cut different from todays habits, as old-fashioned as they might appear to us. Judging from contemporary depictions, monastic
habits followed fashionable clothing, though omitting most extremes and costly decorations.
Contemporary fine clothing usually consisted of a more than floor length over-tunic with sometines extremely wide sleeves over an under tunic or cotte with tight, overlong sleeves pushed up the forearm to form a series of wrinkles. Underneath a shift of linen might have been worn, but was at that time not yet customary. These garments were often very colourful, if the wearer could affort it.
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