F - 1 : Legacies of Byzantium III

Now that we are in Istanbul, it is time to write my last blog before sailing. There are a few topics left on my list of legacies of Byzantium. Interestingly, the Byzantines called themselves Romans not Byzantines – as the true heirs of the Roman Empire. The term Byzantium was coined by Germans in the 16th century to claim the adjective “Roman” for the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations. Tomorrow we will cross the Sea of Marmara - twice the base for Arab attacks on Constantinople but this a topic is for tomorrow.

The Sigismund Bell in Krakow, Poland, cast in 1520

When we hear church bells ringing, watching a priest celebrating mass or visiting a monastery, we hardly think of Byzantium. But these traditions have their origins in the Byzantine Empire.

Let’s start with church bells. Since ancient times, bells were cast both in the Far and Middle East as well as in the Mediterranean. Once people knew how to cast three-legged bronze cooking vessels, the step to bell making was close. You create a wax model, cover it with clay, melt the wax away and replace it with liquid bronze – et voilà. Of course it is more difficult. Without meticulous execution the bell will crack when cooling down. Much later in history, the very same technology was used for casting cannons. But we focus on church bells today.

The Sound of the Bells of St Paul's in London carries very far

Bells made their appearance to royal courts early and were used for ceremonial purposes already in the first millennium BC. They were rung to announce the arrival of the king at court or to initiate some of elaborate court procedures. Since the sound of bells carries far, they were a useful tool to signal to a wider area that something important started. Communication with bells was therefore heavily standardized so everybody understood the meaning. It is still like this today. The number of rings tell us the time. When bells ring for a few minutes we know it is time to go to church.

The Monastery of Saint Mary Deipara was founded in 6th century AD and is west of Cairo

Bells were used in churches from the time Christianity became the Roman Empire’s state religion. Some Christians – often not agreeing with the latest doctrine from Constantinople - preferred worshipping in isolation and tranquility and founded the first monasteries in Egypt and Syria. A few of them are still around. With the foundation of the Benedict Order by the 5th century, monks and monasteries were formalized, the practice spread quickly through the Empire. By the 6th century many monasteries were already established in the west. Monks had to work on the fields though to make a living and needed to be called to prayers from their work. What better way than using bells seven times a day? To make the bell sound carry as far as possible, bells were hung high up. The bell tower was invented. As an interesting side note, the practice of calling people to prayers from a tower was copied by Islam but the Muslim replaced the bells with a muezzin. Not so sure whether a man’s voice reaches as far as the sound of bells. But modern loud speakers now compensate for this conceptual weakness.

These bells in the stone tower of Montclans-Lauragant in Occitanie are still rung by hand

As Christianity became state religion, it was also important to dress the clergy in a recognizable way. The only means of communication was appearance – there were no media nor could the general population read. Establishing a dress code for the clergy became essential. Rumors have it that the ecclesiastical way of dressing was derived from Constantine’s Praetorian Guard, his body guards.

Pope Honorius I from a Mosaic in Sant'Agnese in Rome

The similarity between their way of dressing and early ecclesiastical dresses is striking – albeit I have no written proof. Over a white undergarment, a heavier, often expensively decorated over-garment was worn. When this style became unfashionable a few centuries later the clergy stuck to it. Just ook at the formal dress code our Popes. Their clothes echo the Byzantine Empire.

Pope Benedict in formal Attire

This will be my last long blog for this year. Tomorrow, we leave Istanbul to sail to Athens. I will report daily from our trip.