Social Life in Byzantium
Social life was intertwined with the Church and the
central government ιn the public life of the Byzantines. The major Christian holidays
usually gave the opportunity for celebrations and events taking place in
streets, squares and especially in churches that gradually evolved in
significant places of socialization. However, especially in the big cities of
the first Christian centuries, the secular amusements and spectacles performed
in theaters and hippodromes were very popular, connected with social life. Although
theater in Byzantium lacked the educational aspect of the ancient classical
drama, it never ceased to entertain the public.
Different was the position of
sports in Byzantium, as they were seen in a
totally different way in comparison with the ancient Greek society: sports,
related with physical strength, health and self-sufficiency of citizens of the
ancient city-state, could not keep up with the terms and values of the life of
a citizen of the empire. However, wrestling,
high jump, long jump and javelin were among the authorized sports included in
the Justinian legislation. Traditional
sport venues such as the stadium, the arena and the gumnasium, continued to be
in use during the early centuries of Byzantium, but from the 6th century
onwards, as the economic recession progressed, were left without maintenance,
thus becoming ruins.
The visit of baths was an important part of the social
life of the Byzantines. In the first Christian centuries cities had large bath
complexes, which continued the tradition of antiquity and attracted many
people, as they functioned not only as places
for cleaning the body and relaxing but also as places of socializing. City dwellers spend much of the day in baths, since
except from washing, they enjoyed the relaxing properties of water, met with
friends and acquaintances, talked about business, catch the news and exchanged
ideas. From the 7th century onwards, large
bathhouses fell into disuse and were finally abandoned due to population shrinkage,
lack of resources to ensure water supply and high maintenance costs. This
resulted in a significant reduction in their number and size, not only in the
capital but also in the provinces. Today, only a few Byzantine baths survive;
the bath of Thessaloniki and the one that belongs to the Monastery of
Kaisariani are among them.
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Justinian I:
Byzantine Emperor
(527-565), nephew and successor of Justin I. One of his first acts was to
reform the tax system and recode Theodosius’ laws. He was personally involved
in religious conflicts and convened the 5th Ecumenical Council
(553). Justinian considered himself primarily an orthodox emperor and took
harsh measures against the remaining pagans. Many of his political and fiscal
actions provoked strong reactions on the part of the senate and the factions
and led to the Nika Riots. Justinian instigated numerous building projects,
erecting approximately 30 churches in Constantinople,
including the famous church
of Agia Sophia.
Regarding foreign policy, he successfully confronted the Persians and the
Vandals in the East and focused on the recovery of the West. This he temporarily
achieved, but at such cost that the Empire was left exhausted; the barbarians in
the Balkans plundered the Greek peninsula as far as the Isthmus and barbarian
tribes settled at the borders. His military operations exhausted Byzantium financially and
militarily and had no real effect, as Italy and other areas he conquered
were soon lost again. After his death, the weakened empire had to face new
attacks, culminating in the Arab conquests, which negated the majority of
Justinian’s conquests beyond the borders.
The monastery of Kaisariani :
Τhe
Monastery of Kaisariani is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It lies on the
western, wooded slope of Mount Hymettus, about two kilometers from the
Municipality of Kaisariani. The monastery is referred to as Kaisariani in a
letter written by Michael Choniatis in 1200; in 1208, having passed into the
hands of Catholic monks, Pope Innocent III refers to it as Santa Syriani.
The monastery answered directly to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and had
secured various privileges and tax exemptions, which led to economic prosperity
in the Byzantine period. This status was maintained during both the Frankish
and Ottoman periods, and is indicative of the great power and influence wielded
by the monastery’s abbots. In 1833 it was dissolved by decree of the regent’s
council under King Otto.
The first centre of Christianity in the area was located on a hill to the
southwest, known as “the Cemetery of the Fathers”. The remains of an early
Christian
basilica dating to the 5th-6th century are still to be
seen at the site, where another church was built in the 10th century. Abutting
this to the south was the Catholic church of St. Mark, built under Frankish
rule and hence known as Frankomonastiro. To the west lies a 17th
century church dedicated to Archangels Michael and Gabriel.
The monastic community was transferred to its safer present-day location in the
11th century. Of the mid Byzantine buildings only the catholicon
and the baths still survive, the latter being one of the few monastic bath
houses preserved in Greece. The remaining structures (refectory, kitchen,
cells) are of a later date. The cells lie on the south side of the enclosure
wall; archaeological excavations have revealed that they were founded on the
ruins of Byzantine cells. The main wing is now a two-storey building, standing
independent of a three-storey edifice known as the Benizelos Tower.
The church is of the semi-composite four column cross-in-square type,
built of the cloisonné masonry typically found in Greece. The exterior decoration
is austere: though dogtooth courses and cornices run around the dome, there are no kufic ornaments or other decorative brick elements. The dome is
illuminated by eight single-lobed windows surrounded by double brick
arches. One characteristic feature is the outstandingly beautiful large stone
arch in the north arm of the church, built of finely hewn masonry. The apse has
a large biforate window with a plate above it.
On the interior, the columns supporting the dome are from earlier buildings,
while the restored marble templon is contemporary with the church. There
are two different views as to when the catholicon was erected: one
places it in the late 11th century and the other later, in the 12th century.
The wall paintings in the nave date to the early 18th century and are
the work of an accomplished academy-trained artist.
The tripartite domed narthex and the chapel of Agios Antonios to
the south are later additions. The former was erected in the 17th century, and
bears wall paintings dated 1682 by the Peloponnesian painter Ioannis
Ipatis. The murals in the Chapel of Agios Antonios are of the same
period.
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