Why Did Anastasia the Patrician Flee Emperor Justinian I After Empress Theodora’s Death?
If you read the Copto-Arabic Synaxarion, you’ll find the story of one of my favourite historical figures. Anastasia the Patrician. Thus, I am writing this article to put forward the case that Anastasia The Patrician should not only be more widely known beyond the bounds of Byzantine scholarship but also put forwards that Anastasia the Patrician’s decision to flee the affections of Emperor Justinian I should be discussed in more further as I have seen little to no work on this topic to the best of my knowledge.
In historical and theological academia pertaining to the growing interest in the theme, ‘Crossing-Dressing Saints,’ it is not unusual to find scholars noting the relevance of Anastasia’s decision to don monk robes so that she could escape from Emperor Justinian I’s romantic interest by joining a laura (monastery) after seeking Abba Daniel’s aid after she fled from her hiding place Pempton, where she founded a ministry to Scetis, which led to her taking up the position of a typically-male hermit. However, whilst I am fascinated by this and would like to do work on this in the future, I am also enticed by why the less pondered question… Why did Anastasia The Patrician take such drastic measures to escape Emperor Justinian I?
Indeed, we are aware that Anastasia Patricia was descended from the aristocracy, was widowed at a young age and took up the position of a lady in waiting to Empress Theodora. But in ‘The Forgotten Desert Mothers,’ we find that Laura Swan postulates that Emperor Justinian I potentially sought to pursue Anastasia romantically, which Swan contemplates whether this possibly led to Anastasia becoming the object of the ‘envy’ and resentment of Empress Theodora. This has been raised as the orthodox explanation for the reason why Anastasia fled the bustling city of Constantinople to found her own monastery, where she devoted herself to God and make a living through weaving cloth. Therefore, if this was the reason why Anastasia originally fled from the Court of Emperor Justinian I, it makes sense that Anastasia fled her holy sanctuary to seek the aid of Abba Daniel and crossed-dressed as a male monk because she wanted to flee Emperor Justinian I’s desire for her, even after Empress Theodora’s death. This is what I am really enticed by and this is why I am spending my self-isolation looking further into this topic and why I have pondered several possibilities that should be researched further and are exciting avenues to explore.
Could it be that Anastasia simply did not reciprocate Emperor Justinian I’s feelings for her? or find him attractive? Indeed, as a short note, Emperor Justinian I was notably short in height (PROCOPIUS, Aned, 10, 11).
Could it be that Anastasia did not seek to be Empress after she had witnessed the duties and life of Empress Theodora? Perhaps, Anastasia simply preferred a life devoted to Christianity and her God, which would mean that her cross-dressing could be regarded as a potential testament to her devotion, rather than her desperation.
Another potential reason that Anastasia felt so compelled to seek out Abba Daniel after Emperor Justinian could possibly have been because she identified as LGBT+? Whilst Anastasia has been transformed into an LGBT+ icon in light of her early cross-dressing as she should be, I do not believe that very much research has been carried out on entertaining the possibility of Anastasia’s personal sexuality. Indeed, this might explain why Anastasia truly felt the need to flee Emperor Justinian’s advances… Twice. Of course, this is merely a hypothesis that I have crafted but it is a significant and neglected one in academia nevertheless.
This article invites you to go and research the enthralling life of Anastasia the Patrician for yourselves and learn all about this fascinating female figure who should be widely discussed beyond academic circles. I also intend to look further into this area in my future studies.
Written by Sophie Bea Louise Overton
Institutions: Durham University, Theology and Religious Studies, BA Honours, First-Class (2018–2021) The University of Cambridge, MPhil in Assyriology, Newnham College (2021–2022)
Citations:
Swan, Laura. The Forgotten Desert Mothers: Sayings, Lives, and Stories of Early Christian Women. Paulist Press, p. 72–73, 2001.
Further Reading Suggestions:
Cartwright, Mark. “Women in the Byzantine Empire.” The Ancient History Encyclopedia (2018).
Constantinou, Stavroula. “Holy Actors and Actresses Fools and Cross-Dressers as the Protagonists of Saints’ Lives.” In The Ashgate Research Companion to Byzantine Hagiography, pp. 343–362. Routledge, 2020.
Delierneux, Nathalie. “The Literary Portrait of Byzantine Female Saints”. In The Ashgate Research Companion to Byzantine Hagiography, pp. 363–386. Routledge, 2020.
Evans, James Allan Stewart. “The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire”. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005.
Holmes, William Gordon. “The Age of Justinian and Theodora: A History of the Sixth Century AD”. Gorgias Press, 2002.
