Aspects of St Anna's Cult in Byzantium
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ASPECTS OF ST ANNA’S CULT IN BYZANTIUM by EIRINI PANOU A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham January 2011 Acknowledgments It is said that a PhD is a lonely work. However, this thesis, like any other one, would not have become reality without the contribution of a number of individuals and institutions. First of all of my academical mother, Leslie Brubaker, whose constant support, guidance and encouragement accompanied me through all the years of research. Of the National Scholarship Foundation of Greece ( I.K.Y.) with its financial help for the greatest part of my postgraduate studies. Of my father George, my mother Angeliki and my bother Nick for their psychological and financial support, and of my friends in Greece (Lily Athanatou, Maria Sourlatzi, Kanela Oikonomaki, Maria Lemoni) for being by my side in all my years of absence. Special thanks should also be addressed to Mary Cunningham for her comments on an early draft of this thesis and for providing me with unpublished material of her work. I would like also to express my gratitude to Marka Tomic Djuric who allowed me to use unpublished photographic material from her doctoral thesis. Special thanks should also be addressed to Kanela Oikonomaki whose expertise in Medieval Greek smoothened the translation of a number of texts, my brother Nick Panou for polishing my English, and to my colleagues (Polyvios Konis, Frouke Schrijver and Vera Andriopoulou) and my friends in Birmingham (especially Jane Myhre Trejo and Ola Pawlik) for the wonderful time we have had all these years. A very special ‘thank you’ goes to my brother Panagiotēs Panou who had been extremely supportive and proud of all my academical goals. This thesis is dedicated to his memory. ‘We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel’. Kenji Miyazawa Στο ‘γουσουρούι’ μου Abstract This thesis is the first scholarly attempt to examine the veneration that Mary’s parents – and her mother Anna in particular – enjoyed in Byzantium. The four pillars upon which this examination will be based are topography, texts, relics and iconography. The topography of Constantinople is examined in relation to that of Jerusalem in order to bring to the surface new ideas on the development of Constantinopolitan topography. I also look at the motives behind the construction of the first church dedicated to St Anna in Constantinople and its relation to the topography of the Holy Land. In terms of textual production, I show that until the eighth century Mary’s parents and their story recounted in the second-century apocryphal Protevangelion of James, were intentionally ‘ignored’ because of the non-canonical nature of the text. But from the eighth century onwards the situation dramatically changes with the emergence of Byzantine homilies and Ι will explore the reasons that triggered this change as well as the way Mary’s parents are presented in this genre. Finally, I discuss the problematic around Anna’s relics, her association with iconophilia, demonstration of Orthodoxy, healing and protection of childbirth. Last but not least, the examination of iconographical evidence will uncover the visual impact of Anna’s cult and will complete the study of her veneration in Byzantium. Contents List of illustrations................................................................................................................v-viii List of abbreviations............................................................................................................ix-xiii Introduction..............................................................................................................................2-5 Chapter one: Topography Jerusalem: the church of Mary in the Probatic Pool …………………………..…………….6-7 Church of the Paralytic- The Probatike…………………………………...……..…………7-13 The church of Mary in the Probatike ………………………..…………………….……… 13-7 Sophronios of Jerusalem and John of Damaskos on the church of Mary in the Probatike...17-9 Bethesda’s symbolism.........………………………..………………………………..........19-25 Constantinople …………………………………………………………...……..………… 25-6 Justinian I builds the first church of St Anna in the quarter of Deuteron ………………… 26-8 Chapels – Churches of Anna in the Byzantine capital .………………………..…………28-30 Churches and water constructions in Byzantium ………………..………..……………….30-1 Mary and water constructions in Constantinople ………………………..………………...31-3 Mary, healing waters and St Anna: Creation of sacred space in sixth-century Constantinople……………………….…………33-6 Justinian and healing ……………………………………………..……………..…………36-8 Justinian and Mary ……………………………………………..……..………..…………38-40 Imperial patronage of Anna’s churches after Justinian I-Basil I ………………….……….40-1 The Patria……………………………..……………………………..…………..………… 41-2 The palace-chapel of Leo VI- The account of Theophanes Continuator……………….…..42-3 Scholarly views on the arrangement of the rooms in the proximity of St Anna’s chapel….44-6 The text of Theophanes Continuator once again………………………..………………… 46-9 Justinian I, the Macedonian dynasty and St Anna……………………….……..…………49-53 Conclusions....................................………..………………………………..………….......53-4 Chapter two: Mary’s parents in texts Introduction…………………………………………..………….……..….………..………55-6 Part.1 Biographical notes a. The story of Anna and Joachim according to the Protevangelion …………...……………56 Mary’s parents and their home in the Holy Land………………………..………………..57-60 The Protevangelion………...……………..……………………………..……………..… 60-2 Variations in the story of the Protevangelion ……………………………….…..…………62-6 Mary’s parents in the writings of Church Fathers and homilists prior to the eighth century- Disregard of apocryphal works ………………………..…………………………………66-70 Traditions around the genealogy of Mary : Male – female lineage……………..…………71-3 Mary’s genealogy in Syriac sources and Syriac and Armenian versions of the Protevangelion..…………….................................................................................................73-7 De Strycker: Epiphanios of Salamis, Anna’s Conception and the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Epiphanios’ comment on Anna’s Conception ………………………………....78 De Strycker’s explanation of Epiphanios’ comment ………………………..…………….78-9 Evaluation of De Strycker’s comment ………………………..……………………..……79-80 The sixth century: Romanos Melodos and the Protevangelion………………..……..………… 81-3 Part 2. St. Anna and Joachim in Byzantine homilies Introduction ……………………………………………..……………..……………..…… 83-4 The homily on Mary’s Nativity composed by John of Damaskos and its importance for the further treatment of the subject ………………………..………………………..………….………… 84-8 Comparison of Anna and Joachim with biblical figures: Anna – Hanna – Sarah …………………………………………..…………....…………88-90 Joachim – Abraham – Moses…………………………………..……………………..…… 90-2 Fulfilment of prophecies………………………………………………………..………… 92-5 Sterility-Rebirth-Destruction of Eve-Adam……………………………...……..………… 95-6 Royal descendance - Social Supremacy………………………..………………….……… 97-9 Models of endurance ………………………..……………………………………...……99-102 Anna and Joachim as individuals ………………………………………….…..……………103 Anna and Joachim as a couple ………………………..…………………………..………104-6 Anna and Joachim as parents ………………………..……………………………...…106-112 The conception of Anna in Byzantine texts ……………………………………..………..112-3 Natural conception ………………………..…………………………...………………….113-4 Conception through intercourse and prayer ………………………………………………..………114-5 Conception through prayer ………………………..……………………………………………..…115-118 ‘Attack’ and defence of the Protevangelion ………………………..……………………...118 Anna’s conception in Photios’ homily on Mary’s Nativity …………………….…..…118-120 Anti-Judeaic and anti-pagan polemic in Photios’ homily ………………………...……120-122 Photios’ Nativity homily and the dogma of the Incarnation ………………………..……122-3 Photios’ homily and the connection of Mary’s to Christ’s nativity …………………………124-7 Mary’s birth in seven months ……………………….……………………………....…127-131 Mary’s presentation in the temple ………………………..………………………..…..…131-4 Credibility of the Protevangelion...........................……………...………..…………........134-7 Further remarks : Hymns on Mary’s early life in the eighth and ninth centuries …………………………...137-9 Dependence of homilists on the Protevangelion ……………….…….……..…………139-143 Conclusions..............………………………………………..…………….……..………….................143-5 Chapter three: Relics- Feasts- Social approaches Introduction……………………………………..…………….…………………..…………146 Part 1. Relics........................…………………...………..……….……….........................146-8 First group: Palestine. St Anne’s relics in the Probatic Pool ………………………….148-150 Second group: From Palestine to France ……………………………………...………… 151-5 Third group. The relics in Constantinople and Rome: The Patria and scholarly views : The translation according to the Patria ………………………..……………………….…155-7 The translation from Constantinople to Rome: scholarly views and evidence………...157-160 The relics in Constantinople in the sixteenth century The Pammakaristos church ………………………..………………………………..……160-1 Fourth group. From Trebzond to Athos ………………………..…………………………161-5 Conclusions......……………………………..…...……………………..…......…….….....165-7 Part 2.Feasts. Introduction …………………….…..………..……………………………………….......167-8 The Conception of St Anna: The story according to the Protevangelion ………………………………….…...…………168 The significance of the feast in homilies and kontakia ……………………..………….168-169 Scholarly views on the