NOT ANOTHER CONSTANTINE. RETHINKING IMPERIAL SAINTHOOD THROUGH THE CASE OF JOHN III VATATZES
NOT ANOTHER CONSTANTINE. RETHINKING IMPERIAL SAINTHOOD THROUGH THE CASE OF JOHN III VATATZES
Author(s): Lorenzo Maria CiolfiSubject(s): Political history, Social history, Ancient World, 13th to 14th Centuries, Identity of Collectives
Published by: NEW EUROPE COLLEGE - Institute for Advanced Studies
Keywords: John III Vatatzes; Constantine the Great; Byzantine Imperial Sainthood; Constantinopolitan Synaxarium; Modern Greek Identity;
Summary/Abstract: It has been generally assumed that the Byzantine emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes – today venerated as a saint by the Orthodox Church – was formally canonized soon after his death in the second half of the thirteenth century. This paper aims to challenge this widely accepted notion by exploring the phenomenon of Byzantine imperial sainthood through the extraordinary case of Constantine I and the presence of emperors in the Synaxarium of Constantinople. By looking into accounts that offer literary representations of John III, the paper then moves towards a contextualization of the canonization of this Byzantine sovereign, with a particular focus on his ‘reappearances’ during important historical moments for the Greek communities.
Journal: New Europe College Yearbook
- Issue Year: 2016
- Issue No: 16
- Page Range: 23-52
- Page Count: 30
- Language: English
