After the fall of Constantinople, Anna Notaras, member of the wealthiest and most aristocratic family of the late Palaeologian period, swept away by the Turkish conquest, took refuge in Italy. She settled first in Rome under the protection of Cardinal Bessarion, who with Pope Pius II was planning a “Western re-foundation of Byzantium” in the Despotate of the Morea. After the failure of the crusade against the Turks in the Morea led by Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Bessarion enlisted Anna in an attempt to establish a small Byzantine kingdom at Montauto, then under Sienese control, which never came to light despite the expense of considerable effort. After Bessarion’s death, in 1475 Anna moved to Venice, where, by means of her influence on the political establishment of the Serenissima, she devoted herself to keeping Byzantine cultural and religious traditions alive. In her residence, she maintained an extensive Greek library and, in fact, became the first woman publisher, managing and financing the publication of Byzantine books, which were credited however to her close collaborator Zaccarias Kalliergis. Furthermore, Anna fought successfully for religious freedom and the right of the Greek community of Venice to follow orthodox practice. An important part of her will dealt with arrangements for the construction of the Byzantine Church of San Giorgio dei Greci, a focus still today of philo-Hellenism in Venice. The museum houses three icons – reproduced at the end of Ronchey’s essay – which belonged to Anna and were donated to the Greek community of Venice.
Alla caduta di Costantinopoli, Anna Notaras, esponente della più aristocratica e ricca famiglia dell'ultima età paleologa travolta dalla conquista turca, riparò in Italia. Si stabilì inizialmente a Roma, sotto la protezione del cardinale Bessarione, che con papa Pio II stava coltivando il progetto di una "rifondazione occidentale di Bisanzio" nel despotato di Morea. Dopo il fallimento della crociata contro i turchi in Morea, Bessarione coinvolse Anna nel tentativo di fondare un piccolo regno bizantino a Montauto, allora dominio senese, che tuttavia, nonostante le energie profuse, non vide mai la luce. Dopo la morte di Bessarione, nel 1475 Anna si trasferì a Venezia, dove si impegnò, con la sua influenza sull’establishment politico della Serenissima, a tenere in vita le tradizioni culturali e cultuali di Bisanzio. Sul primo fronte mantenne, nella sua residenza, una ricca biblioteca greca e divenne di fatto la prima donna editrice, orientando e finanziando un'attività di stampa tuttavia firmata dal suo stretto collaboratore Zaccaria Kalliergis. Sul fronte cultuale, Anna si batté con successo per l'indipendenza confessionale e per il diritto al culto ortodosso della comunità greca di Venezia. Una parte importante del suo testamento riguarda le disposizioni circa la costruzione della chiesa bizantina di San Giorgio dei Greci, ancora oggi punto di riferimento del filellenismo a Venezia. Nel museo di questa sono conservate le tre icone – riprodotte nelle tavole finali del contributo – appartenute ad Anna e donate alla comunità greca veneziana.
Ronchey, S. (2004). Un'aristocratica bizantina in fuga: Anna Notaras Paleologina . In S. WINTER (a cura di), Donne a Venezia (pp. 23-42). ROMA : Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura.
Un'aristocratica bizantina in fuga: Anna Notaras Paleologina
RONCHEY, SILVIA
2004-01-01
Abstract
After the fall of Constantinople, Anna Notaras, member of the wealthiest and most aristocratic family of the late Palaeologian period, swept away by the Turkish conquest, took refuge in Italy. She settled first in Rome under the protection of Cardinal Bessarion, who with Pope Pius II was planning a “Western re-foundation of Byzantium” in the Despotate of the Morea. After the failure of the crusade against the Turks in the Morea led by Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Bessarion enlisted Anna in an attempt to establish a small Byzantine kingdom at Montauto, then under Sienese control, which never came to light despite the expense of considerable effort. After Bessarion’s death, in 1475 Anna moved to Venice, where, by means of her influence on the political establishment of the Serenissima, she devoted herself to keeping Byzantine cultural and religious traditions alive. In her residence, she maintained an extensive Greek library and, in fact, became the first woman publisher, managing and financing the publication of Byzantine books, which were credited however to her close collaborator Zaccarias Kalliergis. Furthermore, Anna fought successfully for religious freedom and the right of the Greek community of Venice to follow orthodox practice. An important part of her will dealt with arrangements for the construction of the Byzantine Church of San Giorgio dei Greci, a focus still today of philo-Hellenism in Venice. The museum houses three icons – reproduced at the end of Ronchey’s essay – which belonged to Anna and were donated to the Greek community of Venice.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
