Coptic Orthodox Monastic Degrees
In the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria there are only two degrees of professed monks, corresponding to the Rassaphore combined with the Stavrophore and the Great Schema (nothing equivalent to separate Stavrophore status in the Coptic Orthodox tradition).
The two rites of Rasaphore and Stavrophore are served one immediately following the other, as a single service, very seldom nowadays to be separated by several years. When the two rites are separated, the portions of the habit that were given in the previous rite are not given a second time in the latter rite.
As for the Great Schema, which is made of a leather cord twisted in design and has 5 to 7 small crosses along its length and worn crosswise around the neck, flowing down cross wise front and back, it is usually granted to bishops either upon their episcopal consecration or shortly afterwards and it is usually granted when a monk has reached a high degree of asceticism or has been living as a hermit and also to the monks, hieromonks and abbots who have been in the monastic life for over 30 years and have been living in an exemplary monastic life.
Read more about this topic: Degrees Of Eastern Orthodox Monasticism
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