Pious societies whose members wear a cord or sash to honor some saint from whom they hope to receive a particular grace or favor. In ancient times belts or girdles were common among the Orientals and the Jews, whose priests and prophets also wore them. Christ ordered his Apostles to gird their loins. Virgins in the early Church wore cinctures as a mark of their purity, and since then they have come to be a symbol of chastity as well as mortification and humility. The custum of wearing a belt in memory of a saint is very ancient, and first appears in the life of Saint Monica. This practise was continued during the Middle Ages, especially in France, where Saint Michael was thus honored. The principal confraternities of the cord are