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Following the Command of Christ: Philanthropy1as an Imperial Female Virtue: Examining2Byzantine philanthropy as an imperial virtue3

reflected in examples of building projects by4

Byzantine empresses and princesses, introduced5

by its patristic warrant in the writings of the6

Fathers of the Church7

V. K. McCarty8

Byzantine Empresses and women within the imperial court9

were brought up and educated in an environment rich with10

awareness of thephilanthrpia of God, the forgiving and patient11

generosity of Gods mercy. Several of those responding in12

obedience and gratitude to the love of God for humankind leave a13

record of their patronage in church and monastery-building14

projects, which stands as a tribute to their faith. The15

Christian virtue of philanthropia was preached by bishops and16

patriarchs in the Cathedral and cited in the traditional17

Orthodox liturgies of the Church. Women in the imperial family18

also would have been taught philanthropy by the example of the19

empresses and princesses who had gone before them. After its20

august beginnings in Attic drama,1the termphilanthrpia is21

1 Its first use is reported in the Aeschylus tragedy, Prometheus Bound(ca. 463 BCE) and again in the Aristophanes comedy, Peace (ca. 421 BCE);later it appears in Platos dialogue, Euthyphro (ca. 399 BCE), and thetreatises of Aristotle as well.


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mentioned only a few times in the New Testament,2and in the22

Septuagint as well,3but the exhortation to charitable works was23

established early in the development of Byzantine thought. It is24

well attested in the patristic teachings of the Church,4which25

could assist in the formation of a God-fearing empress; so that26

philanthropia, as it was reflected in its theology and liturgy,27

was a significant inheritance for the Byzantine Church.28

From the treasury of patristic teaching in place before the29

establishment of the Byzantine empire, let us look at some of30

the texts that shed light upon the virtue ofphilanthrpia.31

Clement of Alexandra (ca.150ca. 215) characterized32

philanthropia as the greatest of Gods attributes, Gods love of33

humankind manifested through the gift of Gods incarnate Son.34

The philanthropia of Christ was seen as deriving from His35

personal experience of becoming flesh and feeling its36

weaknesses, and therefore even a crowned empress could attain37

2 Acts 28:2, and 27:3 as an adverb, and Titus 3:4: But when thegoodness and loving kindness (philanthrpia) of God our Savior appeared, hesaved us

3 Septuagint references tophilanthrpia, some as a verb or adjective:

II Macc. 4:11, 6:22, 9:27, III Macc. 3:15, 3:18, 3:20; IV Macc. 5:12, Esther8:13, I Esdras 8:10, Wisdom 1:6, 7:23, 12:19.

4 References to philanthropia in the Fathers of the Church include butare not exclusive to: Clement of Alexandria, Homily 2.45, Homily 11.10,Homily 12 (6 times), Homily 16.19, Epistle of Clement 8, Protrepticus 1, 10;Quis Dives Salvetur, 3; Paedagogus 1.8, 2.18; Stromateis 2.9,18; Origen,Contra Celsum 1.27, 67; Commentary on Mt. 10:1; Athanasius, De Incarnatione1.3, 4.2,3; 15.2, Orationes Tres Adversus Arianos 3.67, 2.51; JohnChrysostom, Homily In Parabolam Debitoris in Mt. 18.23, Homily 28.1 in Jn.,Homily 14.3 in 2 Cor., Homily 3.2 in Philem., Homily 3.6 in Heb., Homily 4.9;Justin Martyr, Apologiae 10, Dialogus cum Tryphone 47.5, Basil the Great,Homily VI, Gregory of Nyssa, Catechetical Oration, XV, Gregory Nazianzen,Oration 14, Ambrose, Naboth.


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to philanthropia by becoming poor and identifying with those38

in need by way of her philanthropic acts.5Her theological39

advisors could demonstrate how a wealthy empress might40

nevertheless become poor in spirit by reciprocating Gods love41

of humankind. If one is faithful and surveys the magnificence42

of Gods love of mankind, surely she will use wealth rightly,43

so it ministers to righteousness; for if you use it wrongly, it44

is found to be a minister of wrong.6The theologian Origen45

(c.185c.254), Clements successor to the catechetical school of46

Alexandria, provided encouragement for the philanthropic47

dimension in religious life by describing Jesus as the Logos48

Philanthropos and teaching that the loving influence of Christ49

inspires a profound transformation in the human character; so50

each in turn become themselves humanitarians and51

philanthropists.7Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria (c.296373)52

wrote that love for humankind is a principle motive of God for53

the Incarnation because our transgression called forth the54

loving-kindness of the Word that the Lord should both make haste55

to help us and appear among men.8He taught that the loving56

attitude of God demands that we generously emulate it in our57

5 Clement, Paedagogos, Bk. I.VIII.10ff, Ante-Nicene Fathers (GrandRapids, Mich.: Erdmanns, 1951), vol. II, pg. 228.

6 Clement, The Rich Mans Salvation (Quis Dives Salvetur) 3, 14Clement of Alexandria, G.W. Butterworth, trans. (London: William HeinemannLtd., 1968), pg. 277, 299.

7 Origen, Contra Celsum, Bk. I.67, trans. Henry Chadwick (Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1953), pg. 62.

8 Athanasius, De Incarnatione Verbi Dei, 4:2, Nicene and Post-NiceneFathers (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1997), Vol. IV, pg. 38.


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relationships with one another. The commandment of the LORD58

exhorts us to humanitarian concern and philanthropy for the poor59

and needy, and for widows, strangers, and orphans.960

The wisdom of the Cappadocian Fathers may have been61

influential to succeeding generations of the Byzantine imperial62

family as well, particularly the women closest to the throne.63

Basil the Great (c.330c.379) taught that by philanthropic64

generosity, God will welcome thee, angels will laud thee,65

mankind from the very beginning will call thee blessed. For thy66

stewardship of these corruptible things thy reward shall be67

glory everlasting, a crown of righteousness, the heavenly68

kingdom; since, after all, the grace of good works returns to69

the giver. Thou hast given to the poor, and the gift becomes70

thine own, and comes back with increase.10

In his Catechetical71

Oration, Gregory of Nyssa (335394) calls philanthropia a72

special character of the divine nature, and therefore the73

cause of the presence of God among men.11

He thus considers it74

responsible for the Incarnation.12

Gregory Nazianzen (c.32575

c.389) in his innovative Oration 14 On the love of the Poor76

showed how by becoming friends of the poor (Philoptochos),77

9 Demetrios J. Constantelos, Byzantine Philanthropy and Social Welfare(New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1968), pg. 33.

10 Basil the Great, Homily VI on Luke xxi.18, Writings of Basil,Blomfield Jackson, trans. (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1895).

11 Gregory of Nyssa, Catechetical Oration, XV, Nicene and Post-NiceneFathers, second series (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1997), 15, pg. 487.

12 Glanville Downey, Philanthropia in Religion and Statecraft in theFourth Century after Christ, in Historia: Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte4:2/3 (1955), pg. 204.


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bishops and laity, empresses and merchants alike, can learn to78

emulate the transactional aspect of Gods saving love of79

humankind in generosity to the poor.13

Let us share what we have80

with the poor that we may be rich in the bounty of heaven. Give81

a portion of your soul too, not just your body; give a portion82

to God too, not just the world; take something from the belly,83

dedicate it to the Spirit.14

By one fortunate enough to be84

chosen as empress, patriarchal teaching could well be taken as85

cautionary advice as well. Ringing through the Verses against86

the Rich is Gregorys cry for a humanitarian Christian response87

to the needs of the poor, and as Shewring charmingly renders it:88

Give to the poor; they before God can plead,89

And win, and richly give, the grace we need90

Honour in him Gods handiwork expressed;91

Reverence in it the rites that serve a guest.1592

Ambrose (339397), while Bishop of Milan in the Western93

Church, was influential to Emperor Theodosius I, and his advice94

may have been familiar to the Theodosian empresses in court95

circles, reminding them that it makes your debtor God the Son,96

who says I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was thirsty and97

you gave me to drink, and I was a stranger and you took me in,98

13 John A. McGuckin, St. Gregory of Nazianzus: An Intellectual Biography(Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2001), pg. 147.

14Oration 14 in St. Gregory Nazianzus: Selected Orations, M. Vinson,trans. (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2003),22, pg. 55.

15 Gregory Nazianzen, Verses against the Rich, (Moral Poems, XXVIII),quoted in Rich and Poor in Christian Tradition, pg. 49.


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naked and you clothed me(Mt. 25:3536). For he says that99

whatever was given to any of the least ones was given to him.100

Having given birth herself, the message of St. Ambrose may have101

registered even more deeply with an imperial Byzantine lady than102

with her husband: Earth was established in common for all, rich103

and poor alike. Nature, which begets everyone poor, knows no104

wealthy for we are not born with clothing or begotten with gold105

and silver. Naked, it brings us into the light, wanting food,106

clothing, drink, and naked the earth receives us whom it brought107

forth, not knowing how to compass our possessions in the tomb.16108

Closer to home, Patriarch of Constantinople John Chrysostom109

(347407) also vigorously proclaimed the Gospel imperative of110

Matthew 25, for which he came under criticism from the imperial111

court and endured temporary exile. He cited it and alluded to it112

numerous times in his preaching, in Homily 79 on Matt 25:3141,113

he calls it this sweetest passage of Scripture (tes perokopes114

tes hedistes),17

for great indeed was Christs regard for115

philanthropy and mercy. Poignantly illustrating the theology of116

philanthropy, he shows that it is Jesus himselfhungry, thirsty,117

naked, stranger, sick, and imprisonedwhom we encounter among118

16 Ambrose, Naboth, quoted in Ambrose, Boniface Ramsey (London:Routledge, 1997), pg. 138, 118.

17 Greek translation by Rudulf Brandle, in This Sweetest Passage:Matthew 25:31-46 and Assistance to the Poor in the Homilies of JohnChrysostom, in Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society, Susan R.Holman, ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2008), pg. 132. For whatfollows, Homily 79, St. John Chrysostom, Homily LXXIX, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff, ed. (Edinburgh: T & TClark, 1994), pg. 474-479.


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the poor in the streets in need, for no costly table did He119

seek, but what was needful only, and His necessary food, and He120

sought in a suppliants garb and teaches that Christ sees what121

is offered to the poor as offered to him; the dignity of the122

one receiving, for it was God, who was receiving by the poor.123

The early fifth-century historian Sozomen describes how124

philanthropia is acquired by imitating the prototype, the125

Heavenly King, who is its source. He illustrates how it126

functions as an imperial virtue by praising Emperor Theodosius127

II (401450), to whom the Ecclesiastical Historyis dedicated.18128

Like the emperor, the Christ-loving empress also promoted the129

salvation and welfare of the people, placating God of the sake130

of the empire and emperor.19

The women in the imperial court131

attending the Liturgy heard the exhortation to philanthropia132

numerous times in each service. Although the Liturgies of St.133

Basil and John Chrysostom may have evolved to their present134

forms in the eighth and ninth centuries, and as such have been135

attended by empresses from those centuries and afterward,136

philanthropia is repeated as an attribute of God in the former137

ten times, and in the latter, twelve times. The services of138

18Girt with the purple robe and crown, a symbol of thy dignity toonlookers, thou wearest within always that true ornament of sovereignty,piety and philanthropythus, thou art humane and gentle, both to those near,and to all, since thou dost imitate the Heavenly King who is thy pattern.Sozomen, Introduction, Ecclesiastical History, Nicene and Post-NiceneFathers, vol. II (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1997), pg. 236.

19 Liz James, Empress and Power in Early Byzantium (New York: LeicesterUniv Press, 2001), pg. 14.


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vespers and orthos, the hymns and prayers of everyday services,139

reveal that sinful man is redeemed through the philanthropia of140

God, which is described as unfathomable, indescribable,141

immeasurable.20

In times of catastrophe, litanies rang out142

invoking the philanthropia of God and galvanizing the143

humanitarian efforts of, for example, Empress Irene after the144

earthquake of 740.145

These examples illustrate the foundation that was laid down146

in Christian thought by patristic rhetoric elucidating the147

theology of philanthropia. In reflecting on the relationship148

between poverty and merit, it showed the way forward for the149

development of the imperial patron-client relationship as a150

means of emulating Gods love of humankind. The teachings of the151

Fathers clearly prepared the way for a humanitarian response to152

the needs of the poor, who were to be identified as the image of153

God, rather than cursed by the gods as they were seen in Greek154

society. Because of the love of the Creator, everyone owes155

generosity to one another, especially those raised to the156

imperial throne by birth or marriage. Thus, with the rise of the157

Byzantine state, and certainly by the fifth and sixth centuries,158

philanthropy along with piety was increasingly promoted as a159

principle of conduct for imperial women, with Helena(c.255160c.330). Helena was the first Christian empress and the161



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definitive role model. Eusebius records that among Helenas162

several philanthropic pursuits, she built numerous churches in163

the Holy Land. Much of her philanthropic work resonated with the164

command of Christ in Matthew 25: Especially abundant were the165

gifts she bestowed on the naked and unprotected poor. To some166

she gave money, to others a supply of clothing; she liberated167

some from imprisonment, or from the bitter servitude of the168

mines; others she delivered from unjust oppression, and others169

again, she restored from exile.21

Although her achievements170

might be in part legendary, her inspiration to generations of171

Byzantine imperial women was very real. By their endowment of172

charitable institutions and other philanthropic actions, several173

empresses, including Pulcheria, were acclaimed as new or174

second Helenas.22175

As the royal sister of Theodosius II (401450) and crowned176

in her own right after his death, Empress Pulcheria was known to177

have corresponded with Pope Leo I,23

and she was responsible for178

establishing the education of her imperial brother. Her179

philanthropic projects reflected pious generosity on a grand180

scale; ancient sources record that Pulcheria, possessing great181

21 Eusebius, Vita Constantini Bk III, 44, Nicene and Post-NiceneFathers, vol. I (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1997), pg. 531.

22 Pulcheria was saluted as a new Helena at the Council of Chalcedon,Ephemia by the Council of518, Sophia at both Corippus and Venantius, who alsocompared her to the apostle Paul. Liz James, Empresses and Power in EarlyByzantium (New York: Leicester Press, 2001), pg. 14.

23 Patrologia cursus completes, series Latina. Paris: J.P. Migne, 184466, vol. 54, cols. 9058, cited in Andrew Kadel, Matrology(New York:Continuum, 1995), pg. 56.


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wisdom and a holy mind, educated her brother Theodosios. She182

gave him a royal training, above all in piety towards GodAfter183

building numerous churches, poor-houses, hostels, and184

monasteries; she endowed all of them with appropriate income in185

imperial style. She brought her sisterly influence to bear on186

her imperial brothers philanthropic activities as well, The187

pious Theodosius, in imitation of the blessed Pulcheria, sent188

much money to the archbishop of Jerusalem for distribution among189

those in need.24

Theodosius learned the virtuous habit of190

philanthropy in part from his pious sister Pulcheria, who was191

educated enough to have read it and heard it from the Patriarchs192

themselves. The writings of the court orator Themistius may have193

contextualized his understanding of philanthropia as well,194

because his addresses to the first Theodosius (when he was a new195

ruler) had taught him that philanthropia is the greatest of the196

imperial virtues, for by it the soul is fashioned into the image197

of God.25198

It was often through imperial philanthropic initiative that199

many of the most important relics of the saints were brought to200

the Byzantine capitol and reverently housed in churches built201

specifically for them. These churches became in turn the202

24 Theophanes, the Confessor, Chronographia: Byzantine and Near EasternHistory, AD 284813 / trans. Cyril Mango and Roger Scott (Oxford: ClarendonPress; New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), pg. 125.

25 Glanville Downey, Philanthropia in Religion and Statecraft in theFourth Century after Christ, in Historia: Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte4:2/3 (1955), pg. 201.


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location where empresses were crowned and betrothed. Thus,203

Constantinople grew to be the greatest treasury of relics in204

Christendom, and this became especially significant after the205

loss of Jerusalem during the Crusades.26

When the relics of John206

Chrysostom were translated from Komana to the capitol, the207

blessed Pulcheria placed them in the Church of the Apostles,208

thus uniting those which had been separated following his209

deposition from the Church. Pulcheria also built a wonderful210

church for the blessed First Martyr and deposited his holy211

relics there.27

By her benefaction, the Chapel of St. Stephen212

was added to the Daphne Palace complex to house the relic of the213

Protomartyrs arm brought from Jerusalem and as a treasury for214

other important relics, such as the precious cross traditionally215

attributed to Constantine containing a relic of the True Cross.216

She was also responsible for building a church for the much-217

beloved icon with the Hodegitria in the Arsenal area of the218

capitol.28219

After the multi-faceted philanthropic projects of Empress220

Pulcheria, the bride chosen for her imperial brother, Athenais-221

26 The relics functioned as instruments of power, investiture, andleadership, guaranteeing political authority and displaying divine approvalto those who possessed them. Ioli Kalavrezon, Helping Hands for the Empire:Imperial Ceremonies and the cult of Relics at the Byzantine Court, inByzantine Court Culture from 829 to 1204, Henry Maguire, ed. (Washington,D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 1997), pg. 55.

27 Theophanes, the Confessor, Chronographia, pg. 135136,144.28 Thomas F. Mathews, The Byzantine Churches of Istanbul: A Photographic

Survey(University Park, Penn.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1976),pg. 201.


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Eudicia, carried on her pious work, especially later in life222

when exiled.223

Athenais was a convert to Orthodoxy from Athens; when she224

was baptized she took the name Eudokia, and like Helena,225

carrying out the command of Christ in Matthew 25, she was able226

to offer service for peopleespecially for the sick, the hungry,227

the unclothed, the poor and the neglected.29

The imperial228

sisters-in-law, both hailed as most-pious by historians, each229

offered their robes to the service of the Church to be used as230

fair linens upon the Altar.30

Among the many philanthropic231

institutions that Athenais-Eudokia established was a great poor-232

house, which was capable of housing four hundred. Empress233

Anthenais-Eudocia was reported to have worked tirelessly to234

support the building up of the city walls through her patronage235

of Kyros of Panopolis, whom she influenced her husband to236

appoint as prefect of the city. He was said to have built up the237

walls and lit up the dark capitol.31

Her charitable works in the238

Holy Land were impressive as well. History has recorded her239

29 Constantelos, Demetrios J., Women and Philanthropy in the History of

Hellenism, (available athttp://www.goarch.org/print/en/ourfaith/articles8144.asp, accessed1/18/2005), pg. 4.

30 Liz James, Empresses and Power in Early Byzantium (New York:Leicester Univ Press, 2001), pg. 154.

31 From 439 to 441 there was feverish activity in Byzantium; the bestmen of the community were working for its welfare. Kyros wanted to satisfyAugusta Eudocia, to accomplish her assignment quicklyno poor man was idle inthe capital. Out of the generosity of her nature, Eudocia stood by them, richin her resources.In the few years of his consulship, this poet and builderaccomplished miracles. He built the walls. He lit up the dark capitol.Jeanne Tsatsos, Empress Athenais-Eudocia: A Fifth Century Byzantine Humanist(Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1977), pg. 76.


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pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the company of St. Melania the240

Younger and their relic-collecting projects; after first241

visiting to set up the foundations, she commissioned designs for242

churches, a palace and a large inn for pilgrims, determining243

that it was not proper for them to sleep in the churches. There244

must be no poor man without help, no old man without care.245

Her humanitarian generosity, especially toward the end of246

her life, became renowned. She spent it all for Christs work.247

It is reckoned that in the last seventeen years of her life, she248

spent for the buildings and for the maintenance of the Holy City249

more than 20,000 pounds of gold; yet she herself lived in250

monastic simplicity.32

The example of Empress Eudokia was251

undoubtedly an inspiration to the imperial women who came after252

her, perhaps most explicitly her own great granddaughter,253

Princess Anicia Juliana.254

Recent archeological exploration has uncovered restoration255

and building expansion, which carried on the work of Empress256

Eudokia into succeeding generations and has brought to light a257

Byzantine princess who was a significant benefactress of258

philanthropic projects. In 1960, grading operations around259

Istanbuls current city hall at Sarachane, in the center of the260

ancient city, uncovered a number of ornately worked cornices and261

marble blocks. Two of these carried an inscription describing262

32 Ibid., pg. 96.


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the Byzantine princess Anicia Juliana, praising her royal263

lineage,] and the elaborate church that she had constructed in264

honor of St. Polyeuktos. Thus church replaced a similar one,265

which had been built on the site by Empress Eudocia. The266

inscription, which adorned the upper periphery of the church,267

witnesses to the philanthropic generosity of her imperial268

granddaughter and her motivation for building.33

The Church of269

St. Polyeuktos, which was built in only three years, was270

reported by the Book of Ceremonies to lie along the imperial271

processional route from the Theodosian Forum to the Church of272

the Holy Apostles. It was a remarkable structure to uncover, a273

church of such evident grandeur securely dated to the period274

immediately preceding the accession of Justinian, and some ten275

years before St. Sophia.34

In the company of other more familiar276

characters discussed here, it is fascinating to ponder this277

33 It read, in part: The Empress Eudocia, in her eagerness to honourGod, was the first to build a temple to the divinely inspired Polyeuktossheraised this building from its small original to its present size and form.(from lines 110) May the servants of the heavenly King, to whomsoever shegave gifts and to whomsoever she built temples, protect her readily with herson and his daughters. And may the unutterable glory of the most industriousfamily survive as long as the Sun drives his fiery chariot. (from lines 34

41) What choir is sufficient to sing the work of Juliana, who, afterConstantineembellisher of his Rome, after the holy golden light ofTheodosius, and after the royal descent of so many forbears, accomplished infew years a work worthy of her family, and more than worthy? She alone hasconquered time and surpassed the wisdom of renowned Solomon, raising a templeto receive God, to be the gift of Juliana. (from lines 4264) Such is thelabour that Juliana, after a countless swarms of labours, accomplished forthe souls of her parents and for her own life, and for the lives of those whoare to come and those who already are. (from lines 7476) Martin Harrison, ATemple for Byzantium: The Discovery and Excavation of Anicia Julianas

Palace-Church in Istanbul (Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, 1989),pg. 3334.

34 Ibid., pg. 35.


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lesser known Byzantine princess who surpassed the wisdom of278

renowned Solomon and raised a temple to receive God. There is279

an authoritative-looking portrait of her standing between280

personifications of Magnanimity (Megalopsychia) and Prudence281

(Sophrosyne) in the splendidly illuminated medical treatise of282

Dioscorides, which was said to be produced for her.35

It has even283

been suggested that Anicia Juliana is represented in the large284

marble bust of an imperial woman of this period prominently285

displayed at the threshold of the Byzantine collection of the286

Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.36287

Anicia Juliana was born in about 462 and was descended on288

her mothers side from Emperor Theodosius I. The archeological289

evidence witnesses to the artistic excellence of the church that290

she added to her palace, which for ten years was the largest in291

Constantinople. She spared no expense on its construction and292

embellishment, which were on a level of quality not seen before293

in the capitol. As her construction workers finished building294

the church, probably in 526, their places on the scaffolding295

were taken by the decoratorssculptors, mosaicists and workers296

in revetment and inlay.37

Like the Sistine Chapel from the later297

Renaissance period, the church built by Anicia Juliana attempted298

35 It is currently housed in the Vienna OsterreichischeNationalbibliothek. It is fascinating pondering what philanthropic intentioninspired this Byzantine princess to commission a medical treatise!

36 Martin Harrison, A Temple for Byzantium, pg. 36.37 Ibid., pg. 77.


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to parallel in its dimensions the first Jerusalem Temple: the299

sanctuary may have been exactly twenty cubits square, the300

precise dimensions of the Holy of Holies in the Temple of301

Solomon; and similar to the description in 1 Kings 6:29 and302

Ezek. 41:18, the Temple included palm trees alternating with303

pairs of cherubim around the interior... The conclusion that304

Anicia Juliana was attempting to evoke the Temple is hard to305

resist.38

The Church of St. Polyeuktos now stood as the most306

sumptuous church in Constantinople, and thus, Justinians St.307

Sophia, in its scale, design, and comparative austerity, is308

best seen as a deliberate reaction to it.39309

Although philanthropic foundations were erected by310

Byzantine imperial women primarily to the glory of God, some may311

also have been established as an atoning gesture. Empress312

Theodora, the sixth-century wife of Justinian I (483565), used313

her own humble origins to good philanthropic effect by314

establishing the girls school Of Repentance (Metanoia) for315

wayward women around 530; Kuleli College now occupies the former316

site of this charitable foundation. Girls who had been317

exploited by greediness and lascivious desires of some318

unscrupulous men found attention, protection, home and food in319

the philanthropic establishments of Theodora. There, they were320

38 Ibid., pg. 138-139. He carved the walls of the house all aroundabout with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.(1Kgs. 6:29) It was formed of cherubim and palm trees, a palm tree betweencherub and cherub. (Ezek. 41:18)

39 Ibid., pg. 139.


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prepared to be able to face the difficulties of life, either as321

wives and mothers or as nuns and social workers.40

Thus, the322

philanthropia of God was able to absolve sin, provided that323

prayers and charities were offered on ones behalf. So, for324

example, Empress Theodora, wife of Theophilos (82942), asked a325

group of bishops and monks to pray that her husband be absolved326

of the sins he had committed through his iconoclastic policy,327

and was assured by Symeon of Studios the New Theologian that,328

relying on the philanthropia of God, the emperor had indeed been329

received among the Orthodox with his sins forgiven.41330

Empress Irene, the wife of Emperor Leo IV (750780) and331

Regent for Constantine VI (771797), offers an instance of332

humanitarian action as a thanksgiving to God for healing.333

Throughout her life exercising imperial authority, Irene334

demonstrated an increasingly spiritual sense of the imperial335

duty to practice philanthropy by patronizing building projects.336

Particularly after Constantinople was stricken in 740 by a337

disastrous earthquake, Irene responded generously by funding338

restoration to churches and monasteries which were ruined, and339

was perhaps inspired to her generous humanitarian action by the340

litanies offered on the behalf of the Philanthropos Theos. One341

40 Demetrios J. Constantelos, Women and Philanthropy in the History ofHellenism, (available athttp://www.goarch.org/print/en/ourfaith/articles8144.asp, accessed1/18/2005), pg. 4.



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example of this restorative work is the Church of the Virgin of342

the Spring (tes Peges), where the source of the water was a343

spring known for its miraculous healing cures. A spring in fact344

marked by a mosaic thank-offering by the empress herself.42

She345

may have also had a hand in the building of the new complex of346

the Eleutherios Palace.43

It has been said that the building of a347

new silk-weaving workshop among its structures may indicate348

Empress Eirenes charitable interest in this traditionally349

imperial enterprise. The treasured purple silk designs, such as350

the eagle silk and charioteer silk, used as the shroud for351

Charlemagne were produced at workshops of this sort.44

It is352

recorded that around the Church of St. Luke, Empress Irene353

built three most important [monuments] for death, life and354

health. Thus, for death she built the cemeteries for strangers355

(xenotaphia) and for life she built the dining halls356

(triklinous) of Lamias of Pistopeion, and for health she built357

the hostel (xenon) called the Eirene (ta Eirene).45

Her building358

projects also included senior center dining halls359

(gerotropheia), soup kitchens, and retirement homes. The St.360

42 Healed at Pege, [she] dedicated gifts to God in thanksbut also sothat her healing, this sign of divine favour, would not be forgotten.Religious patronage is a way open to empresses to display their specialrelationship with God. Liz James, Empresses and Power in Early Byzantium(London: Leicester University Press, 2001), pg. 158.

43 Since there is no independent evidence that Constantine wasconcerned with building, I think we can safely assume that the empress tookmost of the initiative. Judith Herrin, Women in Purple: Rulers of MedievalByzantium (Princeton; Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2001), pg. 102.

44 Ibid., pg. 103.45 Ibid., pg. 104.


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Luke complex came to symbolize her imperial calling to361

philanthropy. This extraordinary combination of life, health362

and death with clearly philanthropic aims and public functions,363

embodies Irenes concerns for the well-being of the city.46364

Although the early Byzantine historians have a left a365

narrative record rich with detail, monastic foundation documents366

(typika) also provide an invaluable treasury of textual367

resources, illustrating in greater interior depth the imperial368

virtue ofphilanthrpia lived out by Byzantine empresses.369

It is always possible that humanitarian projects funded by370

imperial women were simply part of the social duty expected of371

every Roman aristocrat by virtue of her rank. After all, if a372

royal foundation was funded only to increase social standing, it373

could hardly be said to be truly philanthropic. However, even374

allowing for the contributions of editors and the occasional375

ghostwriter, typika for monasteries founded by empresses offer376

insights into the spiritual intent for their philanthropic377

projects, often in their own words; their Christian response to378

the love of humankind by the Philanthropos Kyrios is richly379

evident in this material.380

Such is the case with Empress Irene Doukaina Komnene, wife381

of Alexios I Komnenos (10821118): her philanthropic work is not382

only reflected in the Alexiadwritten by her daughter, but also383

46 Ibid.


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in the typikon of the Convent of the Mother-of-God Kecharitomene384

in Constantinople, which she founded. She was known to have385

beneficially influenced not only her son the future Emperor John386

II Komnenos and her daughter, Anna Komnene, but also her sixth387

child as well. Isaac Komnenos was the founder of the Monastery388

of the Mother of God Kosmosoteire and benefactor of the389

reconstruction and magnificent mosaic work in the Chora390

monastery still evident to visitors today. Anna Komnene391

describes her mother giving charity to beggars while on military392

campaign with her husband,47

encouraging them not to lose heart393

or to beg. She exhorted them to find active work, which suggests394

that her philanthropic projects could be viewed as a way of395

obtaining Gods mercy through giving mercy to the less396

fortunate.48

In addition to the Convent of the Theotokos397

Kecharitomene, Irene Doukaina also jointly founded the male398

monastery of the Christ Philanthropos; thereby contributing to399

the reemergence in the twelfth-century of double monasteries.400

Although now a military depot, it can still be seen in the401

colorful faade of its substructures in the Arsenal-area ruins402

in Istanbul.49403

47The Alexiad of Anna Comnena, E.R.A.Sewter, trans. (London: Penguin,1969) Bk 12, Ch iii, pg. 378.

48 Alice-Mary Talbot, Byzantine Women, Saints Lives and SocialWelfare, in Women and Religion Life in Byzantium (Aldershot: AshgateVariorum, 2001), pg. 11.

49 Thomas F. Mathews, The Byzantine Churches of Istanbul: A PhotographicSurvey(University Park, Penn.: The Pennsylvania University Press, 1976) pg.200.


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The Kecharitomene Typikon reflects issues contemporary to404

the Byzantine Monastic Reform Movement of the twelfth century,405

concern that checks and balances be set in place against406

financial misconduct among them. It also demonstrates the407

philanthropic Christian intentions of a deeply pious empress.408

The typikon is especially notable because it begins with an409

elegantly crafted prayer addressed to the Mother of God410

Kecharitomene, calling her the ornament of our race with most411

saving power, and the adorned queen standing at the right hand412

of the Pantokrator, who protects Constantinople, that the413

great city entrusted to you be preserved as an ever-flourishing414

root and ever-flowing font of piety.50

Empress Irene credits the415

Mother of God with leading her to the position of empress, and416

granting her much fruitfulness in the Purple in the blessing417

of her many children. Empress Irene is quite specific in stating418

her philanthropic intention to respond to Gods saving love for419

humanity: to praise and worship your greatnessand to thank you420

in a spiritual way for your compassion and mercy towards us; all421

that I bring to you in return is most fervent love, you who with422

your First-Born and Only-Begotten maintain the most providential423

and saving love for humanity. Acknowledging that the stream of424

50 For this and the following, Kecharitomene: Typikon of Empress IreneDoukaina Komnene for the Convent of the Mother of God Kecharitomene inConstantinople in Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents: A CompleteTranslation of the Surviving Founders Typica and Testaments, John Thomas andAngela Constantinides Hero, eds. (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks ResearchLibrary and Collection, 2000), pg. 649-724.


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all good things on earth comes from Gods love of humankind, so425

that we possess nothing of ourselves but are entirely GodsI426

myself have built for you a holy temple. Thus, the Convent of427

the Mother of God Kecharitomene is offered; intentionally giving428

back some of what God has given her, she establishes a nunnery429

of solitary singers of praisedispensing to each of them from430

your great gifts to me the yearly and daily necessities in431

accordance with their physical needs.432

Empress Irenes typikon outlines the parameters of monastic433

life in specific liturgical detail: I have set up the life of434

devotion for them coenobitic in everything, establishing and435

ensuring for this divine company an absence of distraction from436

all sides in the matter of their holy way of life. The Divine437

Office is to order the lives of the nuns, bowing down to God438

seven times a dayrising with David at midnightlifting holy439

hands during the night to the Holy of Holies. Irene undergirds440

the instructions for her earthly support with numerous441

Scriptural citations and acknowledgement that all good monastic442

praise and work comes first from Gods loving support of443

humankind, for if divine help is not present, no good action is444

easy to accomplish for anyone at all. Citing Heb. 13:2021, the445

typikon ends as it began with prayerful exhortation: May the446

God of peace who called us to his eternal glory through his447

great and unspeakable goodness confirm and strengthen you in his448


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holy will through his only-begotten Son Our Lord and Savior449

Jesus Christ and the All-Holy Life-Giving Spirit through the450

intercessions of our Mother of God Kecharitomene, signing451

herself, Irene Doukaina in Christ Our God the faithful Empress452

of the Romans.453

Another example of the philanthropy of an empress454

illustrated in the textual record of the monastic typika is the455

patronage of Empress Theodora Palaiologina, wife of Michael VIII456

Palaiologos (12581282), whose building activities flowered when457

she was dowager empress. She restored the convent of Lips in458

Constantinople, adding the south church onto the three-459

hundred-year old Church of the Theotokos to house the tombs of460

her family, since the imperial mausoleum inside the Church of461

the Holy Apostles had been demolished during the Latin462

occupation. Of special interest is the benefaction of a twelve-463

bed womens hospital Empress Theodora built next to the convent,464

leaving careful instructions for the details of its465

appointment.51

This typikon is fascinating particularly in466

disclosing the spiritual origin of the empress impulse to fund467

the restoration: the wealth I have received from God I have468

dedicated to him and to our common Mistress, the Mother of God,469

in expiation of my sins in this life; may these gifts be found470

acceptable by God the Almighty, so that he may have mercy on me471

51 Alice-Mary Talbot, The Byzantine Family and the Monastery, in Womenand Religious Life in Byzantium (Aldershot: Ashgate Variorum, 2001), pg. 124.


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at the Day of Judgment and give me a share of his blessingsmay472

you mention me constantly in both your common and private473

prayers to God.52

For the churches she restored, Empress474

Theodora received praise in an enkomion, asking that God bless475

the Pious and Christ-loving empress who out of love for God476

restored this church and many others which were ruined and who477

built others from the foundations53478

These examples offer a glimpse of the impact imperial women479

had on Byzantine philanthropy from its earliest centuries. On480

balance, it may be that several generations of patristic481

teaching helped clarify the connection between poverty and merit482

before God, and the need for a generous Christian response to483

the needs of the poor. This evidence shows that Byzantine484

empresses did make significant contributions at a time when485

systems for supplying basic social services were yet under-486

developed. In their Greek-influenced culture, in which women487

were often regarded as invisible components of society and488

identified primarily with the home front, this data illustrates489

how they did make a difference, especially in times of critical490

need, such as earthquake, famine, and political catastrophe. In491

monastic typika in particular, imperial women, whose492

accomplishments may often have been under-reported, were able to493

52 Lips: Typikon of Theodora Palaiologina for the Convent of Lips inConstantinople in Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents (Washington, D.C.:Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 2000), pg. 1281.

53 Alice-Mary Talbot, Old Wine in New Bottles in Women and ReligiousLife in Byzantium, pg. 19.


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make valuable contributions to the textual record. They reveal a494

more complete picture of several of the Byzantine empresses495

whose Christian response to the love of God for humankind496

inspired them to embark upon philanthropic building projects497

benefiting Byzantine society.498

Feast of St. Andrew, 2009.499

V. K. McCarty is Acquisitions Librarian of St. Marks500

Library at the General Theological Seminary in New York City.501

502


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Bibliography502For examples from the Fathers, such as Paedagogos of Clement, De503

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Testament, edited by John Thomas and Angela Constantinides514Hero; with the assistance of Giles Constable; translated by515Robert Allison ... [et al.]; with an administrative516commentary by John Thomas (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks517Research Library and Collection, 2000.518

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