Des femmes a' l’autel ? Jamais ! Les diaconesses (veuves et pr'e'tresses) et l’iconographie de la Théotokos
| Title in English | Women at the altar? Never! The deaconesses (widows and priestesses) and the iconography of the Theokokos |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Féminité et masculinité altérées: transgression et inversion des genres au Moyen Age |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Art, architecture, cultural heritage |
| Keywords | Women consacration; Early Christianity; Images of the Theotokos |
| Description | The phenomenon of women consecrated for the liturgical service in the first centuries of the Christian era is as intriguing as it is mysteri- ous. Probably present in ecclesiastical communities since the Apostolic Age, consecrated women experienced their greatest importance in the early fifth century, when females of the imperial house appeared in that position. In an ecclesiatical structure dominated by men, however, women were soon marginalized, and they finally disappeared in the sev- enth century. Even as women’s legitimacy was questioned and their presence threatened, images representing the mother of Jesus (The- tokos) attired as a deaconess appeared. The underlying argument is obvious: if Mary served in the temple – and above all, if she was understood to be the mother of God – women should be accepted in the ecclesiastical hierarchy. But the men in power, even the saints who appear in dreams, had a different opinion: the presence of a woman in the hierarchy was a scandal. The Thetokos, in turn, became a category of its own, and her femininity itself became progressively diminished. |