Iconic Theodora

Jocelyn Mathewes has a nice portrait series of Eastern Orthodox women holding icons of their patron saints. My favorite is this beautiful photo of Liana Lloyd, with an icon of the Byzantine Empress Theodora:

Women-with-icons
Women-with-icons
If you aren't familiar with Theodora, well, she's a fascinating figure. Lowborn and a burlesque actress and probably a prostitute in her early years, she rose to become co-ruler of the Byzantine Empire with her husband Justinian in the sixth century, enacting laws proscribing forced prostitution, granting women rights in divorce cases, allowing women to own and inherit property, and instituting the death penalty for rape. See also, "Theodora and the Politics of Sex". She is also credited with many acts of philanthropy as well as saving the empire by exhorting her husband to attack the rebels instead of fleeing during the revolt of Nika.


Unfortunately for Dora, though, it seems her chief biographer has been Procopius of Caesarea in his "Secret History" where he paints her as a skanky ho. However, Procopius had a big hate on for Theodora and Justinian, and in the same book asserts that "Justinian was, in fact, a demon disguised as a man because men... claimed they saw him late at night in the palace walking around without his head" (from here). And one of his chapters is even titled "Proving That Justinian and Theodora Were Actually Fiends in Human Form". Well, all righty, then!

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jean
[this is good]
"Justinian was, in fact, a demon disguised as a man because men... claimed they saw him late at night in the palace walking around without his head"

Ha ha!! Instantly credible.

Thank you taz! This is a good post!
Jennifer
[this is good]
Thank you for bringing this artist to my attention! Amazing. I've been pouring over the work now for 45 minutes. :)

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