Aspecte sociale reflectate în versurile gnomice ale sfintei Casia Romana

Abstract

In this paper we will briefly analyze the political and social context in which Cassia lived and composed, most of the study being dedicated to the themes we encounter in her gnomic poetry, a lesser known literary creation. The importance of Cassia and her liturgical and literary work is due both to her uniqueness in the Byzantine space and to the way she managed to combine classical Greek culture and Christian ideas. At the same time, it gives us the opportunity to glimpse at the turmoil of Byzantine society in the ninth century, the ideals that ordinary people strived to put into practice, and the impact of political and social transformations that penetrate especially from gnomic verse. As notable influences on the writing of Cassia we mentioned: the influence of classical authors (Xenophon, Menander, Euripides, and especially Palladas) and Christians (as St. Gregory of Nazians), the influence of the Studion monastery and the life of the era in which she lived. Regarding the liturgical creation, we briefly mentioned the most important compositions and themes that we find. However, the personal imprint does not emerge from these, but especially from the gnomic verses, which touch on topics such as: people’s vices and virtues, aspects of monasticism, wealth, beauty, friendship. An exciting aspect is the harsh reporting of Cassia to the growing number of Armenians in Constantinople, which reflects the attitude of Byzantine society at the time.