• Lecture: "Women in the History of Cyprus." Series 2
    25 €
    04.02.2025
    Righteous and Villainous: Helena of Constantinople (Saint Helena), Eleanor of Aragon, and Helena Palaiologina
    25 €
    Information

    Each of these women left their mark on the history of the island.

    One is known as a model of piety, another as a cunning seductress and even a witch, while the image of the third varies radically between Orthodox and Catholic chroniclers.

    The legend of the discovery of the True Cross by Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, is one of the most important and well-known myths of Late Antiquity. Flavia Julia Helena Augusta is depicted as the ideal Christian empress and has been canonized by both the Western and Eastern Churches.

    Eleanor of Aragon is portrayed by the Cypriot chronicler Leontios Makhairas as a power-hungry, cunning, and vengeful poisoner—"the supreme seductress."

    Helena Palaiologina, the wife of John (Jean) II of Lusignan, wielded power beyond the conventional role of a queen consort. She refused to abandon Orthodoxy, which angered the papal authorities, and played a significant role in aiding Byzantine refugees after the fall of Constantinople.

    We will explore legends, medieval chronicles, and modern research dedicated to these three remarkable women.

    Lecturer: Elena Panisheva – cultural historian, literary historian, and curator of exhibition projects at the State Literature Museum in Moscow.

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