Cassia

The holy cassia

Kassia (also Cassia or Kasia, Middle Greek Κασσιανή * around 810 in Constantinople ; † around 865) was a Byzantine abbess , composer and poet. She is considered the earliest female composer in the West.

Live and act

Emperor Theophilus elects his empress AD 829

Kassia came from a noble family. Her father was a senior military man. At the bridal show of the emperor Theophilos in May of the year 826 she is said to not have chosen three Byzantine chroniclers as a bride because of a witty, self-confident answer regarding the theological importance of the creation of women, instead he took the modest and shy Theodora .

Kassia founded a community of consecrated virgins in Constantinople in 843 , of which she later became head. There she created important compositions. Around fifty hymns have survived, twenty-three of which found their way into the liturgical books of the Orthodox churches . In addition to her poems, Kassia left secular writings in the form of 261 epigrams.

The feast day of St. Kassia is in Orthodox churches on September 7th.

Discography

Byzantine hymns of the first female composer Kassia * 810 † 843/867 ("Byzantine hymns of the earliest female composer Kassia") . Ensemble VocaMe , conducted by Michael Popp , Label Christophorus 2009 (CHR 77308)

literature

Reinhold Schlötterer : Kasia . In: Josef Höfer , Karl Rahner (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 2nd Edition. tape 6 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1961, Sp. 12 .
Gudrun Schmalzbauer : Kasia . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 5 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1996, Sp. 1283 .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f - Kassia, the woman who was too clever to become empress . In: Deutschlandfunk Kultur . ( deutschlandfunkkultur.de [accessed on March 16, 2018]).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Reinhold Schlötterer : Kasia . In: Josef Höfer , Karl Rahner (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 2nd Edition. tape 6 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1961, Sp. 12 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gudrun Schmalzbauer : Kasia . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 5 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1996, Sp. 1283 .

personal data
SURNAME	Cassia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Cassia; Kasia; Κασσιανή; Κασσία; Εικασία; Ικασία
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Byzantine abbess, composer and hymn poet, saint
DATE OF BIRTH	around 810
DATE OF DEATH	around 865
Place of death	Constantinople

[:0-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f - Kassia, the woman who was too clever to become empress . In: Deutschlandfunk Kultur . ( deutschlandfunkkultur.de [accessed on March 16, 2018]).

[:2-2] Reinhold Schlötterer : Kasia . In: Josef Höfer , Karl Rahner (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 2nd Edition. tape 6 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1961, Sp. 12 .

[:1-3] Gudrun Schmalzbauer : Kasia . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 5 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1996, Sp. 1283 .