A tall ceremonial headdress worn by bishops and abbots, typically white or gold with a pointed arch shape.
From Greek 'mitra' meaning headband or turban, originally a simple cloth band worn around the head in ancient Greece. Early Christians adopted the term for bishops' headwear, but the modern tall, pointed shape didn't develop until the 10th-11th centuries. The original mitra was just a practical headband; the elaborate peaked design evolved to symbolize the bishop's spiritual authority reaching toward heaven.
The elaborate pointed hat that makes bishops look so regal started as just a simple headband in ancient Greece. Over a thousand years, it literally grew taller and more ornate as the Church wanted to make religious authority more visually impressive.
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