Clerical collars probably began to be worn from about the 8th century, to distinguish priests from the public who wore the street clothes. Religious orders adopted over time their various monastic habits. Cleric collars were adapted from the high, detachable collars of the middle ages. Over the centuries, the collar has been decreed to be a symbol of poverty, dignity, and protection. Nearly all Christian denominations have followed the Catholic tradition of wearing some form of clerical collar.