The Tiara of Pope John XXIII was the personal
Papal
Tiara (triregnum in
Latin,
triregno in
Italian) presented by the region of
Bergamo to
Angelo Roncalli, who was born there, following his election as
Pope John XXIII in 1958.
Because Pope John's election as pope was so unexpected the region had not
made plans to have a tiara manufactured. As a result John was crowned with the
1877
Palatine Tiara given to
Pope
Pius IX. In 1959 the tiara was completed and given to the Pope in the
Vatican.
When asked for guidance as to its design, Pope John requested that it be
lightweight and that the number of
jewels the region
was planning to use be halved, with the savings donated to the poor. The tiara
as a result is the joint-lightest in papal tiara collection, weighing only 2
lbs (900g)
John wore the tiara regularly during his papacy when not wearing either the
Palatine Tiara or the Tiara of Pope Pius XI.
It has remained unworn since his death in 1963. His successor
Pope
Paul VI was supplied with his own, far heavier solid silver tiara. Pope Paul
later dispensed with wearing any tiara. Later popes, though they never abolished
the wearing of the tiara, have chosen personally in each case not to wear one.
However it remains open to any future pope to wear any of the tiaras in the
Vatican's possession, including the Tiara of John XXIII.