Flabellum ( lat. Flabellum - fan ) - a fan used in the Catholic Mass to drive insects away from the Holy Gifts or the priest. The fan is made of metal, leather, parchment , silk or bird feathers, mounted on the end of a long stick [1] .
History
Flabellum has been used both in pagan rituals and in the Christian church from the earliest times.
Apostolic constitutions , work of the fourth century, state (VIII, 12): “Let two of the deacons on each side of the altar hold a fan made of thin shells or peacock feathers or thin fabric, and let them silently drive away small animals that fly so that they do not come close to the bowl .”
Eastern Christianity
In the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, sacred flabellum is still used. Usually it is made of metal, round, with a graphic depiction of a seraph with six wings surrounding the face, on and mounted at the end of the pole. Samples of carved, gilded or painted wood were also found. They were usually made in pairs.
