Most children aged twelve are just going from primary to secondary school. Not Princess Theophanu. At that age, she was given in marriage to the Ottonian emperor Otto II and forced to exchange her life in Constantinople (now Istanbul) for a nomadic existence in Western Europe. The Ottonians had no fixed capital city, so Theophanu and the rest of the court moved from one residence to another.
And if such a culture shock were not enough for a twelve-year-old, she was received anything but warmly as an 'outsider'. Firstly, it was not felt that Theophanu was a real princess. And chroniclers found her untrustworthy and decadent thanks to her 'Greek' ancestry. That image was only reinforced by the Eastern dowry she brought with her. "At the same time, the Ottonians were impressed by Theophanu. They mirrored theirselves on the Eastern Roman Empire and took an interest in its culture", says Verhoeven, researcher at Radboud University's Radboud Institute for Culture and History (RICH).
The Hagia Sophia. Photo: Mariëtte Verhoeven
Sinan Can
Verhoeven provided art history-based advice for the production of the first Waal painting, a mural of Theophanu which was revealed in the autumn of 2020. She also gave a lecture on the Byzantine princess in Het Valkhof Museum, before Studio Hartebeest, the makers of the mural, asked her to write the text for a book to be jointly written. "I described places she visited during her travels and the buildings she found there. My area of expertise is after all early medieval architecture", says Verhoeven. For example, her visit to San Vitale in Ravenna may have reminded Theophanu of her childhood in Constantinople. The octagonal shape of the building is inspired by the church of Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople and the Byzantine Emperor Justinianus and his wife Theodora are depicted on the mosaics. "And Saint Peter's in Rome, where her marriage to Otto II was consecrated in 972, will have seemed plain to Theophany compared to the Hagia Sophia."
San Vitale, Ravenna. Photo: Conor Maney. Licentie voor gebruik: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Naturally, Theophanu being depicted in the Waal painting is not thanks to her visits to Rome or Ravenna. She visited Nijmegen several times and her name is also connected with the Sint-Nicolaaskapel in Valkhofpark, the oldest building there. "Influenced by Theophanu, Saint Nicolaas became one of the patron saints of the Ottonians", Verhoeven states. "When the Nijmegen chapel was built, Theophanu had already died, but it's possible that her son, Otto III, gave the order for the chapel to be built in memory of his mother." Whatever the case, Theophanu's story and her connection with Nijmegen and the Sint-Nicolaaskapel still appeals to the imagination. Journalist and authentic Nijmegener, Sinan Can, indicates in the book's foreword that one reason the chapel is special to him is because it may have been built for someone who shared the same roots as his family.
Three-day journey
Even though Theophanu was once one of the most powerful women in Western Europe, little is known about her in the Netherlands, and Nijmegen, and certainly not by a broad public. "That's why it's so nice that with this book, which really is a co-production by me and the graphic designers of Hartebeest, we can tell her story in both word and image." The book was financed by RICH and the Brediusstichting, which champions the promotion of Byzantine art and culture and where Verhoeven is a member of the board.
The Sint-Nicolaaskapel. Photo: Anton Houtappels
Verhoeven believes that the project is a nice example of how scientific research can be made accessible to a broad public. "My online lecture was already attracting a lot of views and up till now, reactions to the mural have been enthusiastic, also from residents of the area who even made their balconies available for a few of the photos to be taken for the book. And through my connection with a travel organisation where I worked as a guide for cultural trips when I was an art history student, a three-day trip themed around Theophanu has now been organised. Participants also visit Nijmegen and receive the book."
Win a book
The (Dutch) book, Theophanu, prinses uit het oosten, keizerin van het westen has been self-published by Studio Hartebeest and can be bought for €17.95 through https://www.studiohartebeest.com and from bookstores and museums in Nijmegen.
Do you want to get a copy of Theophanu, prinses uit het oosten, keizerin van het westen? Send an email with the subject "Theophanu" to recharge [at] ru.nl before October 2 and include the email address connected to your Radboud Recharge account. We will give away 3 copies. No account yet? Signing up is free.
Photo above article: Anton Houtappels