Venerable Kassiani the Hymnographer

c. 805/810 - c. 865

Also known as Kassia of Constantinople

A noble Byzantine nun, abbess, and the first woman whose hymns entered the Church's services; a confessor in the time of the iconoclasts

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Mother Kassiani the Hymnographer

Life

Kassiani - also called Kassia or Cassia - was a noble Byzantine woman of Constantinople who became a nun, the founder and abbess of a convent, and the first woman whose hymns entered the regular services of the Orthodox Church. She lived in the ninth century, in the closing decades of the iconoclast controversy, and is honored as a confessor for her defense of the holy icons.

She is best known for the Hymn, or Troparion, of Kassiani, chanted on Great and Holy Wednesday, which gives voice to the repentance of the sinful woman who anointed Christ. Alongside her hymnography she left a large body of epigrams and gnomic verse, making her one of the few medieval women whose writings survive under her own name.

Customs & Traditions

Hymns and verses, including the Troparion of Kassiani

Troparion1 hymnReadHide

TroparionTone 4

In you, O Mother, was preserved with exactness what was according to the image;
for you took up the Cross and followed Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away;
but to care for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore, O Venerable Cassianḗ, your spirit rejoices with the Angels.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline5 momentsReadHide

c. 805-810Birth in ConstantinopleKassiani was born into a wealthy, noble family in Constantinople in the first decade of the ninth century.
early 9th centuryThe bride-show of TheophilosShe took part in a bride-show held for the emperor Theophilos. When he alluded to Eve as the source of evil, she answered that through a woman also came the better things, pointing to the Incarnation; Theophilos passed her over and married Theodora.
by 843Foundation of her conventKassiani founded a convent in the western part of Constantinople, near the Constantinian walls, and became its first abbess.
9th centuryConfessor for the iconsA defender of the veneration of icons during the iconoclasm of Theophilos's reign, she endured persecution, including scourging.
c. 865Repose on KasosShe died around 865 on the Greek island of Kasos, where a church at Panaghia is said to hold her tomb.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Early Life and the Bride-Show

Kassiani was born in Constantinople, between about 805 and 810, into a wealthy and noble family. The most famous episode of her early life is her part in a bride-show arranged for the emperor Theophilos by the Empress-Dowager Euphrosyne. By the account, Theophilos, struck by her beauty, remarked that through a woman came forth the baser things, alluding to Eve; Kassiani answered that through a woman also came forth the better things, alluding to the birth of Christ through the Virgin Mary. Disconcerted by her boldness, the emperor passed her over and chose Theodora as his bride.

Whatever the historical kernel of the story, Kassiani turned from the court to the monastic life. By the year 843 she had founded a convent in the western part of Constantinople, near the Constantinian walls, and served as its first abbess.

Confessor and Hymnographer

Kassiani lived through the final phase of the iconoclast controversy, and she stood firmly with the defenders of the holy icons during the reign of the iconoclast emperor Theophilos. For her stand she suffered persecution, including scourging, and is honored as a confessor.

She holds a unique place in the Church's worship as the only woman whose music is known to appear in the Byzantine liturgy. About fifty of her hymns survive, though the attribution of some remains uncertain. Her most celebrated work is the Hymn of Kassiani, sung on Great and Holy Wednesday, which expresses the repentance of the sinful woman who anointed the feet of Christ; the chant is demanding, requiring a wide vocal range, and in performance can last between ten and twenty minutes. A well-known legend relates that Theophilos visited her monastery in his last years and added one line to her still-unfinished hymn.

Writings and Legacy

Beyond the Holy Wednesday hymn, Kassiani composed many other liturgical pieces for the feasts of saints and for Holy Week, among them a long Canon for the Departed running to thirty-two strophes. Her surviving output makes her the earliest woman whose hymns were taken into the regular services of the Orthodox Church.

She was also a writer of secular verse: at least two hundred and sixty-one epigrams and gnomic sayings are attributed to her, marked by the influence of classical Greek and addressing ethical and social themes. She is commemorated on September 7 in the Orthodox Church and is also honored in the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions.

Works & Further ReadingReadHide

Notable Works

Hymn (Troparion) of Kassiani — A hymn on the repentance of the sinful woman who anointed Christ, chanted on Great and Holy Wednesday.
Canon for the Departed — A long liturgical canon of thirty-two strophes.

Related Saints5 saintsShowHide

Saints connected to her life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

A leading ninth-century hymnographer and confessor for the holy icons, her near-contemporary in the iconoclast struggle.

Venerable Theodorethe Studite

Fellow Byzantine hymnographer whose works entered the regular services of the Church.

Venerable Romanusthe Melodist

Fellow hymnographer and defender of the holy icons.

Venerable Johnof Damascus

Fellow ninth-century hymnographer whose canons entered the services of the Church.

Josephthe Hymnographer

By tradition the woman chosen as bride by the emperor Theophilos in the bride-show that passed Kassiani over; both are honored for the defense of the holy icons.

Righteous Theodora the EmpressRestorer of the Icons

Browse similar saints by calling and place.

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Ideas for Celebrating This Day5 ideasShowHide

Ways to honor St Kassiani the Hymnographer.

Make it a music-and-poetry day: name her famous Hymn of Kassiani, sung at Holy Wednesday, and have children write their own short hymn, prayer, or poem to God.
Tell how the learned Kassiani boldly answered the emperor at the bride-show, then chose the monastic life and the pen.
Copy out one of her short sayings in careful handwriting, since she left both hymns and many wise maxims.
Listen together to a recording of Byzantine chant and talk about how music can carry prayer.
Keep a name-day for anyone named Kassiani.

Sources: Synaxarion