Kassia
Encyclopedia
| Saint Kassia | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Born | 810 AD | |
| Died | 865 AD | |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox Church The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,... |
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| Feast Calendar of saints The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the feast day of said saint... |
September 7 | |
Kassia (also Kassiane, Kassiani, Casia, Ikasia, Cassia, Cassiane, Kassiana, or Eikasia; between 810 - bef. 865) was a Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and hymnographer. She is one of the first medieval composers whose scores are both extant and able to be interpreted by modern scholars and musicians. Approximately fifty of her hymns are extant and twenty-three are included in Orthodox Church liturgical book
Liturgical book
A liturgical book is a book published by the authority of a church, that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official religious services.-Roman Catholic:...
s. The exact number is difficult to assess, as many hymns are ascribed to different authors in different manuscripts and are often identified as anonymous.
In addition, some 789 of her non-liturgical verses survive. Many are epigrams or aphorisms called "gnomic verse
Gnomic poetry
Gnomic poetry consists of sententious maxims put into verse to aid the memory. They were known by the Greeks as gnomes, from the Greek word for "an opinion".A gnome was defined by the Elizabethan critic Henry Peacham as...
", for example, "I hate the rich man moaning as if he were poor."
Life
She was born between 805 and 810 in ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
into a wealthy family and grew to be exceptionally beautiful and intelligent. Three Byzantine chroniclers, Pseudo-Symeon the Logothete
Symeon Metaphrastes
Symeon the Metaphrast was the author of the 10 volume medieval Greek menologion, or collection of saint's lives. He lived in the second half of the 10th century...
, George the Monk (a.k.a. George the Sinner) and Leo the Grammarian, claim that she was a participant in the "bride show" (the means by which Byzantine princes/emperors sometimes chose a bride, by giving a golden apple to his choice) organized for the young bachelor Theophilos
Theophilos (emperor)
Theophilos was the Byzantine emperor from 829 until his death in 842. He was the second emperor of the Phrygian dynasty, and the last emperor supporting iconoclasm...
by his stepmother, the Empress Dowager Euphrosyne
Euphrosyne (9th century)
Euphrosyne , a daughter of Byzantine emperor Constantine VI, the last representative of the Isaurian dynasty, and Maria of Amnia.- Life :...
. Smitten by Kassia's beauty, the young emperor approached her and said: "Through a woman [came forth] the baser [things]", referring to the sin and suffering coming as a result of Eve
Eve (Bible)
Eve was, according to the creation of Abrahamic religions, the first woman created by God...
's transgression. Kassia promptly responded by saying: "And through a woman [came forth] the better [things]", referring to the hope of salvation resulting from the Incarnation of Christ through the Virgin Mary. According to tradition, the verbatim dialogue was:
"-." (Ek gynaikós tá cheírō)"-." (Kaí ek gynaikós tá kreíttō)
His pride wounded by Kassia's terse rebuttal, Theophilos rejected her and chose Theodora
Theodora (9th century)
Theodora was a Byzantine Empress as the spouse of the Byzantine emperor Theophilos, and regent of her son, Michael III, from Theophilos' death in 842 to 855...
as his wife.
When next we hear of Kassia in 843 she had founded a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
in the west of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, near the Constantinian Walls, and became its first abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
. Although many scholars attribute this to bitterness at having failed to marry Theophilos and become Empress, a letter from Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios monastery in Constantinople. He played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantine monasticism and of classical literary genres in Byzantium...
indicates that she had other motivations for wanting a monastic life. It had a close relationship with the nearby monastery of Stoudios
Stoudios
The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" (Greek Μονή του Αγίου...
, which was to play a central role in re-editing the Byzantine liturgical books in the 9th and 10th centuries, thus ensuring the survival of her work (Kurt Sherry, p. 56). However, since the monastic life was a common vocation in her day, religious zeal is as likely a motive as either depression or aspiration for artistic renown.
The Emperor Theophilos was a fierce iconoclast, and any residual feelings he may have had for Kassia did not preserve her from the imperial policy of persecution
Religious persecution
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or lack thereof....
for her defence of the veneration
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
of icons. Among other things, she was subjected to scourging with a lash
Whip
A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
. In spite of this, she remained outspoken in defence of the Orthodox Faith, at one point saying, "I hate silence, when it is time to speak."
After the death of Theophilos in 842 his young son Michael III
Michael III
Michael III , , Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Amorian-Phrygian Dynasty...
became Emperor, with the Empress Theodora acting as Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. Together they ended the second iconoclastic period (814-842), peace was restored to the empire, and Kassia was able to live out the rest of her life quietly at her monastery.
Works
Kassia wrote many hymns which are still used in the ByzantineByzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
liturgy
Christian liturgy
A liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis....
to this day. Kassia became known to the great Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios monastery in Constantinople. He played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantine monasticism and of classical literary genres in Byzantium...
, while she was still a young girl, and he was impressed by her learning and literary style. She not only wrote spiritual poetry, but composed music to accompany it. She is regarded as an "exceptional and rare phenomenon" among composers of her day At least twenty-three genuine hymns are ascribed to her.
Hymn of Kassia
The most famous of her compositions is the eponymous Hymn of Kassiani, sung every Holy WednesdayHoly Wednesday
In Christianity, Holy Wednesday is the Wednesday of the Holy Week, the week before Easter...
(commonly chanted late in the evening of Holy Tuesday
Holy Tuesday
Holy Tuesday or Great and Holy Tuesday is the Tuesday of Holy Week, which precedes the commemoration of the death of Jesus.-Western Christianity:...
).
Tradition
Sacred Tradition
Sacred Tradition or Holy Tradition is a theological term used in some Christian traditions, primarily in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions, to refer to the fundamental basis of church authority....
says that in his later years the Emperor Theophilus, still in love with her, wished to see her one more time before he died, so he rode to the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
where she resided. Kassiani was alone in her cell, writing her Hymn when she realized that the commotion she heard was because the imperial retinue had arrived. She was still in love with him but was now devoted to God and hid away because she did not want to let her old passion overcome her monastic vow. She left the unfinished hymn on the table. Theophilus found her cell and entered it alone. He looked for her but she was not there; she was hiding in a closet, watching him. Theophilus felt very sad, cried, and regretted that for a moment of pride he rejected such a beautiful and intellectual woman; then he noticed the papers on the table and read them. When he was done reading, he sat and added one line to the hymn; then he left. The line attributed to the Emperor is the line "those very feet whose sound Eve heard at the dusk in Paradise and hid herself in fear". Legend says that as he was leaving he noticed Kassiani in the closet but did not speak to her, out of respect for her wished privacy. Kassiani emerged when the emperor was gone, read what he had written and finished the hymn.
The Hymn of Kassiani is chanted only once a year during Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
, at the end of the aposticha
Aposticha
The Aposticha are a set of hymns accompanied by psalm verses that are chanted towards the end of Vespers and Matins in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches that follow the Byzantine Rite....
at Matins
Orthros
Orthros may refer to:*Orthros, the Matins service of the Eastern Christian Churches*Orthrus, the two-headed dog of Greek mythology*Matins, the Christian morning prayer service*Ultros, a recurring villain in the video game Final Fantasy VI...
on Great and Holy Wednesday
Holy Wednesday
In Christianity, Holy Wednesday is the Wednesday of the Holy Week, the week before Easter...
, which is traditionally served in Tuesday evening. The music for the hymn is slow, sorrowful and plaintive. It requires a very wide vocal range, and is considered one of the most demanding, if not the most demanding, pieces of solo Byzantine chant, and cantors take great pride in delivering it well. The faithful make a point of going to church specifically "to listen to Kassiani" that evening:
- Sensing Thy divinity, O Lord, a woman of many sins
- takes it upon herself to become a myrrh-bearer
MyrrhbearersIn Eastern Orthodoxy the Myrrhbearers are the individuals mentioned in the New Testament who were directly involved in the burial or who discovered the empty tomb following the resurrection of Jesus...
,- And in deep mourning brings before Thee fragrant oil
- in anticipation of Thy burial; crying:
- "Woe to me! For night is unto me, oestrus of lechery,
- a dark and moonless eros
ErosEros , in Greek mythology, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart was Cupid . Some myths make him a primordial god, while in other myths, he is the son of Aphrodite....
of sin.- Receive the wellsprings of my tears,
- O Thou who gatherest the waters of the oceans into clouds.
- Bend to me, to the sorrows of my heart,
- O Thou who bendedst down the heavens in Thy ineffable self-emptying
KenosisIn Christian theology, Kenosis In Christian theology, Kenosis In Christian theology, Kenosis (from the Greek word for emptiness (kénōsis) is the 'self-emptying' of one's own will and becoming entirely receptive to God's divine will....
.- I will kiss Thine immaculate feet
- and dry them with the locks of my hair;
- Those very feet whose sound Eve
Eve (Bible)Eve was, according to the creation of Abrahamic religions, the first woman created by God...
heard at dusk in ParadiseParadiseParadise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...
- and hid herself in fear.
- Who shall reckon the multitude of my sins,
- or the abysses of Thy judgment, O Saviour of my soul?
- Do not ignore Thy handmaiden,
- O Thou whose mercy is endless."
In many places in Greece, the Bridegroom Matins service of Great Tuesday is popular with sex workers and those engaged in prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, who may not often be seen in church at other times of the year. They come in great numbers, in order to hear the Hymn of Kassiani, as the hymn is traditionally associated with the woman fallen in many sins.
Other works
Among the other hymns she composed are the following:- The DoxastichonDoxastichonA Doxastikon —plural: doxastika— is a type of hymn found in the Divine Services of the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite....
chanted at the VesperalVespersVespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
Divine LiturgyDivine LiturgyDivine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the same term...
on Christmas EveChristmas EveChristmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25... - Numerous hymns in honor of saintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s found in the MenaionMenaionThe Menaion refers to the annual fixed cycle of services in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches. Commemorations in the Menaion are tied to the day of the calendar year.-Service books:...
(fixed cycle of the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendarEastern Orthodox liturgical calendarThe Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Associated with each date are passages of Holy Scripture, Saints and events for commemoration, and many times special rules for fasting or feasting that correspond to the day of...
), such as Feast of the Nativity of the Forerunner, 24 June. - Among her hymns in the TriodionTriodionThe Triodion , also called the Lenten Triodion , is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine rite during Great Lent, the three preparatory weeks leading up to it, and during Holy Week.Many canons in the Triodion contain only three odes or...
(liturgical book used during Great LentGreat LentGreat Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important fasting season in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Pascha . In many ways Great Lent is similar to Lent in Western Christianity...
) are the irmoiIrmosThe irmos is the initial troparion of each individual ode in a canon as chanted in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which use the Byzantine Rite...
for the MatinsMatinsMatins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The term is also used in some Protestant denominations to describe morning services.The name "Matins" originally referred to the morning office also...
Canon of Great Thursday.
- Her longest composition is a CanonCanon (hymnography)A canon is a structured hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services. It consists of nine odes, sometimes called canticles or songs depending on the translation, based on the Biblical canticles. Most of these are found in the Old Testament, but the final ode is taken from the Magnificat and...
for the DepartedChristian burialA Christian burial is the burial of a deceased person with specifically Christian ecclesiastical rites; typically, in consecrated ground. Until recent times Christians generally objected to cremation, and practised inhumation almost exclusively, but this opposition has weakened, and now vanished...
, consisting of 32 stropheStropheA strophe forms the first part of the ode in Ancient Greek tragedy, followed by the antistrophe and epode. In its original Greek setting, "strophe, antistrophe and epode were a kind of stanza framed only for the music," as John Milton wrote in the preface to Samson Agonistes, with the strophe...
s, to be chanted at a ParastasMemorial service (Orthodox)A memorial service is a liturgical observance in honor of the departed which is served in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches.-The service:In the Eastern Church, the various prayers for the departed have as their purpose: to pray for the repose...
(memorial services).
Religious commemoration
The feast day of Saint Kassia is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on September 7September 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Sep. 6 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - Sep. 8All fixed commemorations below celebrated on Sep. 20 by Old Calendarists-Saints:*Martyr Sozon of Cilicia *Saint Kassia, Nun, confessor, hymnographer...
.
She is often depicted on the icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
of the Sunday of Orthodoxy (the First Sunday of Great Lent), because of her strong defence of the veneration of icons.
Recordings
The following are commercial recordings of the music of Kassia:- VocaMe : Kassia - Byzantine hymns of the first woman composer. Christophorus, Germany 2009. 18 tracks, with full sung texts in Greek script, German and English translations.
- Sarband : Sacred Women, Women as Composers and Performers of Medieval Chant. Dorian, USA 2001. Album contains one piece by Kassia, Augustus-SticheronSticheronA sticheron is a particular kind of hymn used in the Divine Liturgy, acolouthia or other services of the Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite....
IdiomelonIdiomelonIdiomelon —pl. idiomela—is a type of hymn found in the liturgical books used in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Rite of Constantinople...
Doxastikon: Vespers of December 25 (Athens MS 883) which is also recorded on the album by VocaMe. - Deborah Kayser & Nick Tsiavos "The Fallen Woman" CD released 2008. Includes a recording of the Kassiani Hymn. For further information please see http://nicktsiavos.net/ A recent performance of the Kassiani Hymn by this duo has been uploaded to YouTube. See http://www.youtube.com/user/dimitrikyriakou Parts 4 & 5 of 7
Other sources
- Diane Touliatos. "Kassia", Grove Music OnlineGrove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansThe New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, it is the largest single reference work on Western music. The dictionary has gone through several editions since the 19th century...
, ed. L. Macy (accessed February 12, 2006), grovemusic.com (subscription access). - Anna M. Silvas, "Kassia the Nun," in Lynda Garland (ed) Byzantine Women: Varieties of Experience 800-1200, Ashgate, 2006.
- Татьяна А. Сенина (монахиня Кассия). "Диалог Феофила и Кассии: литературная выдумка или реальность?" {Tatiana A. Senina (Nun Kassia), "Dialogue between Theophilus and Kassia: literary fiction or reality?"}, Scrinium. Т. 2: Universum Hagiographicum. Memorial R. P. Michel van Esbroeck, s. j. (1934–2003) / Ed. par B. Lourie et A. Mouraviev (Санкт-Петербург, 2006) 240–272
- Tatiana A. Senina (moniale Kassia), "Ἡ γυνή φιλόσοφος: S. Cassia de Constantinople et Platon," Scrinium. Т. 4: Patrologia Pacifica and Other Patristic Studies / Ed. par B. Lourié et V. Baranov (St. Petersbourg, 2008) 333–340.
- Hagiography of St. Kassia from the Antiochian Orthodox Church
- Kosta Simić, "Life According to Nature: Ascetic Ideals in a Sticheron by Kassia", Crkvene studije / Church Studies 6, The Centre of Church Studies, Niš 2009, pp. 111-121.
- Entry at Orthodox Wiki