Byzantine Holy Women - Term Paper Example

?  Byzantine Holy Women Jessica Schuette Wayne  Byzantine Holy Women Introduction The history of the Byzantine Empire is fascinating. The accounts we have of Byzantine life allow us to have a glimpse into the political, religious, social, economic life of a time long gone. Unfortunately, many of these accounts are one sided, as we have so few accounts of the women who so greatly impacted this society. With this in mind, one often wonders how, exactly, Byzantine women found their place in Byzantine society. This question is an important one to answer because we cannot gain an accurate picture of Byzantine society when we fail to realize how nearly half of the adult population lived. While we do have well documented accounts of powerful empresses, it is often more beneficial to understand the plight of the average Byzantine woman to truly understand the inner-workings of this particular civilization. Many women during this time period were quite religious and became the saints of their particular generation. Thankfully we do have some wonderful and cherished memories of their lives that will prove most helpful in this endeavor. It is important to see, through the perspective of history, the important role that women played in many different aspects of Byzantine society. This will allow us to envision that life, without Byzantine women, would have been difficult at best. Through a careful examination of four different holy Byzantine holy women, we will establish that the economic, social, and religious contributions of the common Byzantine woman enabled the continued existence of this society for centuries.  Biographical Analysis Saint Theodora of Arta is the first holy woman we will discuss. As is typical of Byzantine women, we do not know exactly when she was born, but it must have been somewhere between 1224 and 1230. She was from Servia and her father was John Pertraliphas. He was quite famous in his own right, being the governor of Thessaly and Macedonia. She became married to the ruler of Epirus and Thessaly, apparently when she was still a child. This happened shortly after the husband’s accession to the throne in 1231. She became saintly due to her circumstances. Her husband preferred his mistress, which meant that Theodora was not allowed in the house or on the grounds, forcing her into a life of poverty on the streets. From written accounts, she suffered through these various hardships without complaining, even while she was pregnant, eventually gaining the attention of a village priest. The priest gave her shelter for nearly five years until Theodora’s husband saw the error of his ways and invited his wife back to live with him. From this account, we envision that Theodora’s mind and heart was pure. She did not choose the life she was given, yet she remained of positive attitude and worked hard to do right by her child and her God. Over the course of her life, she founded the convent of St. George, which was in Arta, and actually lived there after her husband died. To this day, her tomb is a pilgrimage site and many have ascribed miracles to it. Another saintly woman that we have a written account of is Saint Thomais of Lesbos. Thomais was in Lesbos, but spent much of her life in Constantinople. Subsequently, much of what we know about her is confined to that region. The parents of Thomais were named Michael and Kale. From all accounts, they were quite a pious and god-fearing couple. In addition, they were happy as a couple, so we are left to assume that Thomais was raised in a solid and pleasant environment and, while they did not have much, she received love and compassion at home. Sadly, her particular marriage was not so happy. She married Stephen and we read that their marriage was a disaster. Thomais was perfectly content staying at home with her parents, and did so until the age of 24, perhaps foreshadowing her own fear of marriage. She did not have children of her own. During her adult life, she was in the habit of walking the streets of Constantinople and was frequently seen doing various things to help the poor. Perhaps because of her poor marriage, she spent much of time out in the community helping the destitute. This continued throughout her life, earning her much recognition and praise for her humble lifestyle, resulting in her becoming a saint. The third Byzantine Holy Woman that bears mentioning is Saint Matrona of Perge. She was raised in Perge, which was in the region of Pamphylia. Historically, Perge rested between the localities of Cilicia and Isauria. We know that her parents, who were extremely liberal for that day and age, educated her. Written accounts detail Matrona as being quite beautiful, so not surprisingly, she married almost as soon as she was of age, which by Roman law was 12 years old. Her husband’s name was Domitianus, and like Saint Thomais of Lesbos, he was known to be quite abusive with Matrona. During the early part of the marriage, she had one daughter, Thoeodote. In addition to her saintly duties, Matrona is known for being something of a transvestite. On several occasions, she took up residence in a male monastery for a period of time, apparently unnoticed. As a nun she was quite political and openly opposed certain policies of Anastasios I. This earned her the unique right, as a Byzantine woman, to actually be recorded in the written Ecclesiastical History recorded by Theodore Lector in 525. Beyond this, however, Matrona is noted for being a devoted and virtuous woman, if a bit odd at that. She had the habit of traveling extensively throughout Constantinople and committed great acts of charity throughout her life, which she spent a great part of it as an abbess of a convent. Saint Mary of Egypt was a prostitute from Alexandria, but she became a Saint in Byzantine society because of her repentance and her desire to move away from that lifestyle into one of solitary reflection. The people fell in love with her because they saw the essence of the Christian faith reflected through her. If someone like her, a prostitute, could find love and forgiveness from God, then perhaps they could as well. We do not know exactly where Mary was born in Egypt, and we do not apparently have a record of her parents. This is primarily because she was reported to have run away from home at the age of twelve. She ended up in Alexandria where she began her short career as a prostitute. From all accounts, she was anything but saintly during her teenage years. We discover that at the age of 17, she took a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to tempt believers into having sex with her. Through various events during that pilgrimage, she saw the light of the Virgin Mary, repented of all her sins, and never turned back. She lived a life of solitude and poverty, in absolution for her sins, and remains an encouragement of the power of forgiveness to believers even to this day. Proof It has been argued that Byzantine women were largely relegated to the back of society, unless they rose to the position of empress. It can be proven, however, that these women had a profound impact on the economy inside the Byzantine Empire for centuries. Consider Saint Thomais. Her parents, Michael and Kale, were middle class individuals within Byzantine society. They worked hard, contributed to the community, and encouraged their daughter to do the same. Remaining home until the age of 24, she learned a great many trades that she was able to put into practice during adulthood (Halsall, 1996, p. 298). The picture is given of a woman who was unhappy in marriage, yet at peace with the world. The author of her vita gives the indication that her husband was more a member of the opposition, rather than an ally (Halsall, 1996, p. 300). She contributed economically to the community by giving freely of her time to churches in the area. In so doing, she assisted the poor with donations and helped them to make a better life for themselves. In addition, she gave freely of her wealth, be it minimal as it was, and gave back most of her property to the church and those in the community. This enabled those around her to prosper and be encouraged to continually improve their own standing in society (Halsall, 1996, p. 303). We must assume, therefore, that countless other women in the Byzantine Empire contributed great amounts of labor and wealth to the community yet went largely unnoticed. A functioning and progressive community depends on the contributions of its citizenry to advance culture and to enable society as a whole to move forward. Such a community cannot depend on the contributions of men alone. Women are a vital component, yet as we have already established, they are sadly absent from many accounts of Byzantine history. That does not mean in the least, however, that women did not play a vita role in the growth of the Byzantine Empire. On the contrary, without the contributions of women, such as the holy women discussed throughout this essay, society may have crumbled in an abyss of mediocrity and lack of movement. Saint Thomais of Lesbos is a prime example of this point. Rather than sit at home and wallow in self-pity at her family life with an abusive husband, she ventured forth into the city. The poor in any community are often forgotten, and Byzantine society was no exception. If someone does not step up to assist them, they have no chance in life, and society suffers by losing out on their valuable contributions. Holy women, such at St. Thomais, took it upon themselves to help the poor however they could. She began weaving different fabrics and help the poor do the same, thereby giving them a trade that they could begin to perform (Halsall, 1996, p. 304). She gave freely and helped others meet their daily needs. Saint Matrona of Perta contributed to society in a different way. She challenged conventional thinking of the day. She rose up against traditional female roles and sought to redefine a women’s role in society. This was accomplished, at times, with her taking up a man’s form and performing work in the monastery. She challenged the government and pushed society to think in liberal terms (Featherstone, 1996, p. 29). This was unheard of during Byzantine times, yet Saint Matrona proved that women could have a voice in society, they just had ”to speak” a bit more loudly than their male counterparts. Finally, in a society where women were largely relegated to a limited public role in society, religion provided sanctity and a means of public expression to many. The holy women of Byzantine society did not just inspire females to aspire to be something greater than society was giving them, but they encouraged everyone to live a life devoted to God. Some women, such as Saint Mary of Egypt, proved that religion carried great hope for even the least of these. There was redemption to be found in the church, no matter what one’s lot in life, if they truly believed. As the writer of her vita proclaimed, Mary was proof that a sinner had a second hope at life through the church and strong belief in God (Kouli, 1996, p. 327). Consider, as well, Saint Theodora of Arta. She lived a pious life, out in front of society, even in the midst of incredible hardship from early childhood. Her religious works were so noticeable around town that she became one of only four saints to be so named during a 450-year time frame of Byzantine society. She was a woman who continually honored God with her entire being (Talbot, 1996, p. 330). In so doing, others in the community were drawn to God through the light of humility that she portrayed. The writers of the Holy Women mention that men did not have this same effect on society. Men were rarely seen drawing others into the faith, yet the faithful women, such as Saint Mary of Egypt and Saint Theodora of Arta, were able to accomplish exactly that (Talbot, 1996, p. 333). Conclusion The four holy women presented in this short essay are the rule, rather than the exception, of the impact that females made on the Byzantine Empire. They might not be written about extensively, but that should not cheapen the impact that they made on civilization. Since generations of people carry on the traditions set before them, women of the Byzantine era had a legacy that far outlasted the Empire itself. Furthermore, the fact that only holy women and empresses were written about should not imply that females made no impact on civilization. On the contrary, as has been discussed, the holy women encompassed only a portion of female society. Countless other females have gone unmentioned, yet their contributions to society should not be negated. Consider the ladies that plied their trade in the markets and spent their days weaving yarn to benefit society. Not only did they provide needed goods, but also they greatly contributed to the economy of the day. Consider the middle and upper class women of Byzantine society who tirelessly worked behind the scenes to care for the less fortunate among them. Were it not from them, the amount of suffering taking place during the era in time would have only been compounded. Finally, consider all of the pious women, collectively, who contributed to the religious revival of the day. Were it not for all women showing their devotion to God, the Orthodox faith may have crumbled. Combine all of these factors together, and it has been shown that the women of the Byzantine era greatly contributed to the economic, social, are religious life of society, whether or not they were remembered for it. References Featherstone, J. (1996). Life of St. Matrona of Perge. Holy Women of Byzantium: Ten Saints’ Lives in English Translation. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection: Washington, D.C. Halsall, P. (1996). Life of St. Thomais of Lesbos. Holy Women of Byzantium: Ten Saints; Lives in English Translation. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection: Washington, D.C. Kouli, M. (1996). Life of St. Mary of Egypt. Holy Women of Byzantium: Ten Saints’ Lives in English Translation. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection: Washington, D.C. Talbot, A. (1996). Life of St. Theodora of Arta. Holy Women of Byzantium: Ten Saints’ Lives in English Translation. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection: Washington, D.C. Read More