Saint Evfrosiniia of Polotsk. Looking for the historical character, among hagiographic tradition and chronical records. Saint Evfrosiniia of Polotsk is one of the major female figures of the XII century in Kyivan Rus. Hagiographical texts written in the honour of her ??? Life, Liturgical Hymn and Akhatist hymn ??? depict an interesting and colorful portrait of this saint woman: she is called to have been quite well-educated, to have copied religious books, founded two monasteries, a female and a male one, and to have gone to Jerusalem in her last years. Studies about the historical setting in which Evfrosiina lived revealed that she was a princess (Predslava, daughter of the prince of Polotsk Svjatoslav-Jurij Vsevolodovich) and that, in a particular period of power vacancy in the Pricipality, toghether with other women of her family, she played a political role, getting a personal stamp to sign up official documents. Unfortunately, none of these news is confirmed by chronicles, which describe a very different character: a young princess, named Prassede, or Paraskeva, who dedicated to monastic life, copied books and set off for a pilgrimage to Rome. Is Prassede the same Predislava-Evfrosiniia? Or is she her sister Eupraxia? Did she travel to Jerusalem or to Rome? These are the main still opened questions, which the present study aim to focus and, if possible, to clear up.
Svjataja Evfrosinija igumen'ja Polockaja. Poisk istoriceskogo lica mezdu agiograficeskoj tradiciej i letopis'nymi zapiskami
FERRO, MARIA CHIARA
2013-01-01
Abstract
Saint Evfrosiniia of Polotsk. Looking for the historical character, among hagiographic tradition and chronical records. Saint Evfrosiniia of Polotsk is one of the major female figures of the XII century in Kyivan Rus. Hagiographical texts written in the honour of her ??? Life, Liturgical Hymn and Akhatist hymn ??? depict an interesting and colorful portrait of this saint woman: she is called to have been quite well-educated, to have copied religious books, founded two monasteries, a female and a male one, and to have gone to Jerusalem in her last years. Studies about the historical setting in which Evfrosiina lived revealed that she was a princess (Predslava, daughter of the prince of Polotsk Svjatoslav-Jurij Vsevolodovich) and that, in a particular period of power vacancy in the Pricipality, toghether with other women of her family, she played a political role, getting a personal stamp to sign up official documents. Unfortunately, none of these news is confirmed by chronicles, which describe a very different character: a young princess, named Prassede, or Paraskeva, who dedicated to monastic life, copied books and set off for a pilgrimage to Rome. Is Prassede the same Predislava-Evfrosiniia? Or is she her sister Eupraxia? Did she travel to Jerusalem or to Rome? These are the main still opened questions, which the present study aim to focus and, if possible, to clear up.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
