Papal Tiara

The papal tiara is a crown that was worn by popes of the Roman Catholic Church from perhaps as early as the 8th century to the 20th. It was last used by Pope Paul VI. The three-tiered form that it took in the 14th century is known as the triple tiara, the triple crown or the triregnum (Latin).

From 1143 to 1963, the papal tiara was solemnly placed on the pope's head during a papal coronation. The surviving papal tiaras are all in the triple form, the oldest being of 1572, and the others no earlier than 1800.

A representation of the triple tiara combined with two crossed keys of Saint Peter continues to be used as a symbol of the papacy and appears on papal documents, buildings and insignia.