THE ORIGIN OF THE CHRISTIAN CORONATION RITE
The Christian rite of the sacring of kings does not derive its origin
from the older Jewish rite, though doubtless during the process of its
developement it borrowed details from the older ceremony.
The origin of the rite must be sought in Constantinople, and from the
Byzantine ritual the idea of the Western rite is ultimately derived.
But what then is the origin of the Byzantine rite itself? It is the
Christian developement of the ceremonies connected with the inauguration
of the Roman Emperors in pre-Christian times. Of these ceremonies we
have no very full or detailed account, but although we have no exact and
complete record of the actual ritual used, yet certain historians tell us
in somewhat general terms of what happened on the accession of various
Emperors. For example, the circumstances of the election of Tacitus to
the Empire in 275 were as follows[7].
The Senate was convoked and asked to elect an Emperor, and Tacitus the
Princeps Senatus on rising to give his opinion was suddenly acclaimed
Emperor by the whole Senate, with the acclamation ‘Tacitus Augustus, the
Gods preserve you. You are our choice, we make you Princeps, to you we
commit the care of the republic and the world. Take up the Empire by the
Senate’s authority. The honour which you deserve is in keeping with your
life, your rank, your character’ etc., and the acclamations conclude with
the repetition of the formal words, ‘Tacitus Augustus, the Gods preserve
you.’ He was thereupon elected, and the Senate proceeded to the Campus
Martius, where its choice is announced to the people in these words, ‘You
have here, Sanctissimi Milites et Sacratissimi Quirites, the prince whom
the Senate has elected in pursuance of the vote of all the armies, I mean
the most august Tacitus; so that he who has hitherto helped the republic
by his votes, will now help it by his commands and decrees.’ The people
greet the announcement with the acclamation: ‘Most fortunate Augustus
Tacitus, the Gods preserve you,’ and the rest that it is customary to
say. Lastly the Senate’s choice is proclaimed to the army, and the
customary Donative is given.
Pertinax was suddenly and irregularly acclaimed by army and populace
without waiting for the Senate to make an election. Thereupon he
proceeded to the Senate, and after delivering an address to the
senators he was acclaimed by all, and received from them all honour
and reverence, and ‘was sent to the temple of Jupiter and the other
sanctuaries, and having celebrated the sacrifice for the Empire, he
returned to the palace[8].’
Thus we see that in theory the new Emperor was first elected by the
Senate, and then accepted or recognised in the Campus Martius by the
people and army with acclamations which followed a definite and fixed
ritual, and finally the Donative originated by the Emperor Claudius, and
followed by his successors, was bestowed. But in actual fact the election
by the Senate tended to become more and more a very perfunctory affair,
and the choice of an Emperor came more and more to fall into the hands of
the armies.
The Emperor had, however, some power in providing his successor. He could
and often did nominate a colleague who would normally possess a right
of succession. But while he was merely colleague in the Empire, though
he was invested with some of the marks and functions of the Imperial
dignity, he had no actual ‘imperium.’
There were also certain definite imperial insignia, such as the purple
cloak, once the mark of a general in the field; the laurel wreath, which
the Emperor habitually wore; the purple-striped toga and tunic; and the
scarlet senatorial shoes.
The ceremonies of the inauguration naturally tended in process of
time to develope. The election by the Senate, as has been remarked,
became more and more of a form, and new customs gradually came into
being. A considerable developement is noticeable in the account of
the inauguration of Julian, though the whole ceremony in his case was
under the circumstances somewhat informal and makeshift. It is the army
which elects him. In spite of his protests he is acclaimed as Emperor;
he is then elevated on a shield; and finally he is crowned, a torque
serving temporarily to represent the diadem. Afterwards, we are told,
he assumed a gorgeous diadem at Vienne[9]. The elevation on a shield,
which henceforward always occurs in the inauguration ceremonies, appears
for the first time at Julian’s accession to the imperial throne. It
was a custom followed among the Teutonic tribes[10], and was doubtless
introduced by the Teutonic soldiers who formed so important a part of the
Roman armies at this time. The diadem, which is of oriental origin, was
perhaps introduced by Aurelian. It seems to have been habitually used by
Constantine, and there was a gradual advance during this period in the
matter of ceremonial and the sumptuousness of the imperial vestments.
There is no sign, for some time after the acceptance of Christianity as
the religion of the Empire, of any Christian influence on the rites of
inauguration. It is not until the time of the Emperor Leo I that we meet
with the coronation rite in the religious sense of the term. In the year
457 the Emperor Leo I was formally crowned and invested as Emperor with
religious rites. Constantine Porphyrogenitus[11], to whom we owe so much
of our knowledge of the court functions and ceremonial of the Byzantine
period, describes the rite which took place at the accession of Leo.
The new Emperor, accompanied by the high officials of the Empire, went
down in state to the Hippodrome, in which was gathered together a vast
concourse of people. Here he ascended a lofty tribunal in view of all
the people and was greeted with acclamations. A _maniakis_ (apparently a
kind of fillet) is placed upon his head, and another in his hand, amid
the cheers of the people. Then under the cover of a _testudo_, raised by
the _candidati_, he is arrayed in the imperial vestments, and so shews
himself to the people, with the diadem on his head and the imperial
shield and spear in his hands. He is thereupon greeted with the ritual
formula, _Mighty and victorious and august, prosperously, prosperously.
Many years, Leo Augustus, thou shalt reign. God will keep this realm, God
will keep this Christian realm_, and other such things. The Emperor then
makes a speech to the people, and promises the customary Donative.
Nicephorus, Theodore the Reader, and Theophanes, assert that Leo was
elected by the Senate, and that the diadem was set upon his head by the
Patriarch Anatolius[12], but Constantine does not make any reference to
any act of coronation by the Patriarch, and does not mention him at all,
except as being among the high officials who accompanied the Emperor to
the Hippodrome. Evidently as yet the Patriarch took no very public or
prominent part in the ceremonial.
We are told more, however, in connection with the inauguration of the
Emperor Anastasius I in 491[13]. On the death of Zeno, the choice of his
successor to the Empire was left in the hands of the Empress Ariadne.
The Senate summoned the Patriarch to exhort her to make a worthy choice,
and she chose as Emperor Anastasius the Silentiary. After the funeral
of Zeno, Anastasius takes up his position before the portico of the
great Triclinium and the magistrates and Senate require of him an oath
that he will retain no private grudge against anyone, and that he will
rule the Empire well and justly. The Patriarch Euthymius then demands
an oath in writing[14] that he will make no change in the Faith or
Church, and that he shall sign the Chalcedonian dogmas. Anastasius then
proceeds to the Hippodrome and enters the triclinium from which the
Emperor is wont at race times to receive the adoration of the Senate.
He is clothed in the golden-striped Dibetesion (a tunic reaching to the
knees), girdle, greaves, and royal buskins, his head being uncovered.
The military standards are in the meanwhile lying on the ground, to
signify, apparently, the vacancy of the throne. The people acclaim him,
he is raised on a shield, and a campiductor places a torque about his
head. This last is perhaps a perpetuation of the makeshift coronation
of Julian with a military torque. The standards are then lifted up, and
people and soldiery together acclaim the Emperor. The Emperor re-enters
the triclinium, and is invested with the regalia. The Patriarch says a
prayer which is followed by the _Kyrie eleeson_, and then the Patriarch
invests the Emperor with the imperial chlamys (the purple robe), and
sets a gorgeous crown upon his head. After this the Emperor goes to the
Kathisma and shews himself to the people, who greet him with the cry
_Auguste_, Σεβαστέ. The Emperor then proceeds to address the people in a
special ritual formulary, a book containing which is put into his hand
for the purpose.
EMPEROR. _It is manifest that human power depends on the will of the
supreme Glory._
PEOPLE. _Abundance to the world! As thou hast lived, so rule. Incorrupt
rulers for the world!_ and so on.
EMP. _Since the most serene Augusta Ariadne with the assent of the
illustrious nobles and by the election of the glorious Senate and mighty
armies, and the consent of the sacred people, have advanced me, though
unwilling and hesitating, that I should assume the care of the Empire of
the Romans, agreeably to the clemency of the Divine Trinity...._
PEO. _Kyrie eleeson. Son of God, have mercy upon him. Anastasie Auguste,
tu vincas! God will keep the pious Emperor. God gave thee, God will keep
thee!_ and so on.
EMP. _I am not ignorant how great a weight is laid upon me for the common
safety of all._
PEO. _Worthy of the Empire! Worthy of the Trinity! Worthy of the City.
Out with the informers._ (This last is doubtless an unauthorised
interpolation.)
EMP. _I pray Almighty God that as ye hoped me to be, in this common
choice of yours, so ye may find me to be in the conduct of affairs._
PEO. _He in whom thou believest will save thee. As thou hast lived, so
reign. Piously hast thou lived, piously reign. Ariadne, thou conquerest!
Many be the years of the Augusta! Restore the army, restore the forces.
Have mercy on thy servants. As Marcian reigned, so do thou_ ... (and much
more to the same effect).
EMP. _Because of the happy festival of our Empire, I will bestow 5 solidi
and a pound of silver on each man._
PEO. _God will keep the Christian Emperor. These are the prayers of
all. These are the prayers of the whole world. Keep, O Lord, the pious
Emperor. Holy Lord, raise up thy world. The fortune of the Romans
conquers. Anastasius Augustus, thou conquerest! Ariadne Augusta, thou
conquerest! God hath given you, God will keep you._
EMP. _God be with you._
The Emperor then proceeds to the church of St Sophia and lays aside his
crown in the Mutatorium, and it is deposited in the sanctuary. He then
offers his gifts, and returning to the Mutatorium reassumes his crown,
and thence returns to the palace.
In the account which he gives of the inauguration of Leo the Younger
in 474[15], Constantine illustrates the ceremonies observed at the
inauguration of one associated in the Empire during his father’s lifetime.
The reigning Emperor, accompanied by the Senate and by the Patriarch
Acacius, proceeds to the Hippodrome, where the populace and soldiery
are already assembled. The Emperor standing before his throne begins
to address the troops, who pray him to be seated. Saluting the people
the Emperor seats himself and the concourse greeting him with cries of
‘Augustus,’ beseeches him to crown the new Emperor. The Magister and
Patricians then lead forward the Caesar, and place him on the Emperor’s
left hand. The Patriarch recites a prayer to which all answer ‘Amen.’
The Praepositus then hands a crown to the Emperor, who himself sets it
on the Caesar’s head, the people shouting ‘Prosperously, prosperously,
prosperously.’ The Emperor seats himself, while the new Emperor addresses
the people who greet him with shouts of ‘Augustus.’ The Eparch of the
city and the Senate come forward and present the new Emperor, according
to custom, with a _modiolon_, or crown of gold. Finally the Emperor
addresses the soldiery, and promises the usual Donative.
In these descriptions we still find a reminiscence of the old election by
the Senate, ratified by the soldiery and people. The military assent is
signified by the raising aloft on the shield, and by the imposition of
the military torque, which was retained as late as the time of Justin II.
Leo I also received a second torque in his right hand, which may perhaps
be identified with the second golden crown given to Leo II. The meaning
of this second crown is not clear, but Mr Brightman[16] has suggested
that it may represent authority to crown consorts in the Empire. The
acclamations evidently follow a fixed ritual, and the imperial speech is
a written document.
We are told in these accounts of inaugurations something of
the imperial insignia. The imperial tunic (στιχάρις διβητήσις
αὐρόκλαβος, αὐρόκλαβον διβητήσιον) was of white, and when
girded with the belt reached to the knees. The belt (ζωνάριον)
was a cincture of gold jewelled. The gaiters (τουβία) were
purple hose. The buskins (καμπάγια) were of crimson, with gold
embroideries and rosettes. The purple paludamentum reached to
the ankles, was apparelled with gold, and was fastened on the
right shoulder with a jewelled morse. The diadem was a broad
gold jewelled circlet with pendants over the ears.
It is to be noticed that the inauguration of an Emperor took place at
first in the Hippodrome. It is not until the days of Phokas (602) that
we find the ceremony being performed in a church. The Emperor Phokas was
crowned by the Patriarch Cyriacus in St John in the Hebdomon; Heraclius
(610) by the Patriarch in St Philip in the Palace; Heraclius II in
St Stephen in Daphne. The Empress, unless crowned with her consort or
father, was not crowned in church, and if crowned at all, the ceremony
was of a private and domestic nature and took place in the palace, the
Emperor himself setting the diadem upon the head of the Empress.
We have not much information as to the developement of the rite during
the seventh and eighth centuries. The following description is given by
Theophanes of the coronation of Constantine VI by his father Leo IV in
780[17].
On Good Friday an oath of allegiance was taken to the new Emperor by all
classes in writing. On the Saturday the imperial procession went down to
St Sophia. There the Emperor, according to custom, arrayed himself in the
imperial vestments, and accompanied by his son and the Patriarch ascended
into the Ambo, the written oaths of allegiance being deposited on the
Holy Table. The Emperor informed the people that he had acceded to their
request, and had associated his son with himself in the Empire. ‘Lo, ye
receive him from the Church and from the hand of Christ.’ The people
respond, ‘Answer us, Son of God; for from thy hand we receive the Lord
Constantine as Emperor, to guard him and to die for him.’ On Easter Day
the Emperor proceeds to the Hippodrome, where an antiminsion (a portable
altar) having been set up, in the sight of all the people the Patriarch
recites a prayer, and the Emperor sets the crown on the head of his son.
Thereupon the procession returns to the Great Church.
In the tenth century we have from the pen of Constantine
Porphyrogenitus[18] a full description of the ceremonial of the
coronation of an Emperor, except for the actual prayers used. These
however can be found elsewhere, for there are extant two patriarchal
Euchologia belonging to this same period, one of the end of the eighth
century, the famous Barberini uncial codex, and the other the Grotta
Ferrata codex of the twelfth century[19]. These both contain the rite,
and it is noticeable that it is the same in both books, except for the
fact that the second includes the coronation of an Empress. The rite
therefore had remained unchanged from at least the end of the eighth
century until the twelfth.
The description given by Constantine is as follows.
The Emperor proceeds to the church of St Sophia and enters the
Horologion, and the veil being raised, passes into the Metatorion, where
he vests himself with the Dibetesion and the Tzitzakion (a mantle,
probably flowered), and over them the Sagion (a light cloak). Entering
the church with the Patriarch he lights tapers at the silver gates
between the narthex and the nave, and passes down the nave until he
comes to the platform before the sanctuary, which is called the Soleas.
Here before the Holy Doors leading through the Eikonostasis he prays and
lights more candles. The Emperor and the Patriarch then go up into the
Ambo, where the Chlamys or imperial robe, and the Stemma or crown, have
already been set out on a table. The Patriarch then says the ‘Prayer over
the Chlamys,’ and the chamberlains put it on the Emperor. The Patriarch
next says the ‘Prayer over the Crown,’ and at the end of it takes the
crown and sets it on the Emperor’s head, and the people cry _Holy, holy,
holy, Glory be to God on high and on earth peace_, three times; and then
acclaim him, _Many be the years of N., the great Emperor and Augustus_.
If it is the son of a reigning Emperor who is being crowned as an
associate Emperor, the Patriarch gives the crown into the hands of the
Emperor, who himself sets it on his son’s head, the people crying, _He is
worthy_, and the standards are dipped in obeisance.
After the Coronation the ‘Laudes’ follow.
CANTORS. _Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace._ The people
likewise thrice.
CANT. _Goodwill among Christian men._ The people likewise thrice.
CANT. _God has had mercy on his people._ The people likewise thrice.
CANT. _This is the great day of the Lord._ The people likewise thrice.
CANT. _This is the day of the life of the Romans._ The people likewise
thrice.
CANT. _This is the joy and glory of the world._ The people likewise.
CANT. _On which the crown of the kingdom...._ The people likewise.
CANT. _... has worthily been set upon thy head._ The people likewise
thrice.
CANT. _Glory be to God the Lord of all._ The people likewise.
CANT. _Glory be to God who hath crowned thy head._ The people likewise.
CANT. _Glory be to God who declared thee_ (τῷ ἀναδείξαντί σε) _Emperor._
The people likewise.
CANT. _Glory be to God who hath thus glorified thee._ The people likewise.
CANT. _Glory be to God who hath thus approved thee._ The people likewise.
CANT. _And He who hath crowned thee, N., with his own hand...._ The
people likewise.
CANT. _... will preserve thee long time in the purple._ The people
likewise.
CANT. _With the consort Augustae and the Princes born in the purple._ The
people the same.
CANT. _Unto the glory and uplifting of the Romans._ The people the same.
CANT. _May God hear your people._ The people likewise.
CANT. _Many, many, many._
℟. _Many years, for many years._
CANT. _Long life to you, N N., Emperors of the Romans._
℟. _Long life to you._
CANT. _Long life to you, servants of the Lord._
℟. _Long life to you._
CANT. _Long life to you, N N., Augustae of the Romans._
℟. _Long life to you._
CANT. _Long life to you: prosperity to the sceptres._
℟. _Long life to you._
CANT. _Long life to you, N., crowned of God._
℟. _Long life to you._
CANT. _Long life to you, Lords, and to the Augustae, and to the Princes
born in the purple._
℟. _Long life to you._
The cantors proceed; _But the Creator and Lord of all things_, (the
people repeat) _who hath crowned you with his own hand_, (the people
repeat) _will multiply your years with the Augustae and the Princes born
in the purple_, (the people repeat) _unto the perfect stabiliment of the
Romans_.
Both choirs then chant _Many be the years of the Emperors_, etc., and
the Emperor descends, wearing the crown, into the Metatorion, and seated
upon his throne, the nobles come and do homage, kissing his knees. After
which the Praepositus says _At your service_, and they wish him _Many and
prosperous years_.
The Liturgy now proceeds, and the Emperor makes his Communion.
The ceremonial at the coronation of an Empress[20] was much the same as
that observed in the case of the Emperor. The coronation act, however,
was performed not by the Patriarch but by the Emperor himself. If the
Emperor was married after his accession, the whole ceremony of the
crowning of his consort took place immediately after the wedding, and not
publicly in the church of St Sophia, but as a private court function in
the Augusteum.
The Euchologia, as has been mentioned above, give the text of the prayers
used, which Constantine only indicates. They are as follows[21].
As the Emperor stands with bowed head with the Patriarch in the Ambo a
deacon says the Ectene or Litany.
The Patriarch then says the prayer over the Chlamys, secretly:
_O Lord our God, King of kings, and Lord of lords, who through Samuel the
prophet didst choose thy servant David, and didst anoint him to be king
over thy people Israel; hear now the supplication of us though unworthy,
and look forth from thy holy dwelling place, and vouchsafe to anoint with
the oil of gladness thy faithful servant N., whom thou hast been pleased
to establish as king over thy holy people which thou hast made thine own
by the precious blood of thine Only-begotten Son. Clothe him with power
from on high; set on his head a crown of precious stones; bestow on him
length of days; set in his right hand a sceptre of salvation; stablish
him upon the throne of righteousness; defend him with the panoply of
thy Holy Spirit; strengthen his arm; subject to him all the barbarous
nations; sow in his heart the fear of Thee, and feeling for his subjects;
preserve him in the blameless faith; make him manifest as the sure
guardian of the doctrines of thy Holy Catholic Church; that he may judge
thy people in righteousness, and thy poor in judgement, (and) save the
sons of those in want; and may be an heir of thy heavenly kingdom._ (He
goes on aloud) _For thine is the might, and thine is the kingdom and the
power. Amen._
The Patriarch then hands the Chlamys with its fibula to the Vestitores,
who array the Emperor in it. (If however it is the son, or daughter, or
the wife of an emperor who is to be crowned, the Patriarch hands the
vestment to the Emperor, who himself puts it on the person to be crowned.)
The Patriarch then says the ‘Prayer over the Crown.’
PATRIARCH. _Peace be to all._
DEACON. _Bow your heads._
PATRIARCH. _To Thee alone, King of mankind, has he to whom thou hast
entrusted the earthly kingdom bowed his neck with us. And we pray Thee,
Lord of all, keep him under thine own shadow; strengthen his kingdom;
grant that he may do continually those things which are pleasing to Thee;
make to arise in his days righteousness and abundance of peace; that in
his tranquillity we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness
and gravity. For Thou art the King of peace, and the Saviour of our souls
and bodies, and to Thee we ascribe glory. Amen._
The Patriarch then takes the crown from the table, and sets it on the
Emperor’s head, saying:
_In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost._
The Emperor is then communicated.
Here however there is apparently a disagreement between the Euchologia
and the account of Constantine Porphyrogenitus. The Barberini Euchologion
of the eighth century states that the Patriarch ‘celebrating the liturgy
of the Presanctified administers to him the lifegiving communion,’
and the Grotta Ferrata Euchologion of the twelfth century speaks of
the communicating the Emperor with the presanctified Sacrament, while
Constantine says nothing of the Emperor being communicated in the
reserved Sacrament, but implies that he was communicated in the ordinary
course of the Liturgy. It has been suggested by Mr Brightman[22]
that ‘the apparent discrepancy may be explained by supposing that
the ecclesiastical rubrics are drawn up on the assumption that the
Coronation will not necessarily be a festival with a Mass, while the
Court ceremonial assumes that it will be.’ He goes on to point out that
‘in ordinary cases of accession the coronation was generally performed
at once, festival or no festival: in the case of a consort, when the day
could be chosen, it was generally a festival.’
The Greek rite in its final development is found in the writings
attributed to Codinus Curopalates[23] (c. 1400).
[Illustration: The Emperor Nicephorus Botoniates in his imperial robes]
The Emperor proceeds to the church of St Sophia, and there makes his
profession of faith both in writing and orally, reciting the Nicene
Creed and declaring his adhesion to the seven Oecumenical Councils,
professing himself a servant and protector of the Church, and promising
to rule with clemency and justice. Then he proceeds to the triclinium
called the Thomaite[24], and medals are scattered among the people, and
he is raised aloft on a shield. He then proceeds once more to St Sophia,
where screened by a wooden screen erected for the purpose he is clothed
in the imperial vestments; the Sakkos (the dibetesion or dalmatic), and
the Diadema (girdle)[25], which have already been blessed by bishops. The
Liturgy is now begun, and before the Trisagion, at the Little Entrance,
the Patriarch enters the Ambo and summons the Emperor. There in the
Ambo the Patriarch recites the ‘Prayers composed for the anointing of
Emperors,’ part secretly and part aloud, and the Emperor having uncovered
his head, the Patriarch anoints him in the form of a cross saying, ‘He is
holy,’ the people repeating the words thrice. The Patriarch then sets the
crown on the Emperor’s head saying, ‘He is worthy,’ the people repeating
this also thrice. Thereupon the Patriarch again recites prayers,
doubtless the second prayer ‘To Thee alone.’ If however the Emperor
to be crowned is a consort, associated during his father’s lifetime,
the Patriarch gives the crown to the Emperor, who himself crowns his
colleague.
If the Empress is to be crowned, she takes up her position in front of
the Soleas, and the Emperor receiving the already consecrated crown from
the Patriarch, himself sets it on her head.
The Emperor and Empress being now crowned, they go to their thrones, the
Emperor holding in his hand the Cross-sceptre; the Empress her Baion
or wand, both remaining seated except at the Trisagion, Epistle, and
Gospel. When the Cherubic Hymn is begun at the Great Entrance the chief
deacons summon the Emperor to the entrance of the Prothesis and he is
invested with the golden Mandyas (a vestment something like a cope)
over his Sakkos and Diadema, and so vested, holding in his right hand
the Cross-sceptre and in his left a Narthex or wand[26], he leads the
procession at the Great Entrance in virtue of his ecclesiastical rank as
Deputatus or Verger. He goes up to the Patriarch and salutes him, and is
then censed by the second deacon, who says, ‘The Lord God remember the
might of thy kingdom in his Kingdom, always, now and ever, and for ever
and ever,’ all the clergy repeating the words. The Emperor greets the
Patriarch, and putting off the mandyas returns to his throne, rising only
at the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Elevation. If he is not prepared
to communicate he remains seated until the end of the Liturgy. If however
he is prepared to communicate, he is escorted to the sanctuary by the
deacons, and censes the altar and the Patriarch, and is censed by the
Patriarch. Then committing his crown to the deacons he is communicated
after the manner of a priest. When he has made his communion, he
replaces his crown and returns to his throne. After the Liturgy is
over, he receives the Antidoron, and is blessed by the Patriarch and by
the bishops present, and kisses their hands. The choirs sing an anthem
called the ἀνατείλατε, and the Emperor is acclaimed by the people, and so
returns in procession to the palace.
In this account the most important feature is the explicit mention of the
unction. There is no definite allusion hitherto in any account to any
anointing in the Eastern rite, until the time of the intruding emperor
Baldwin I, who was crowned with a Latin rite in 1214.
In 1453 Constantinople was taken by the Turks, and the Greek Empire came
to an end. But the Greek coronation rite still survives, and is used in
the Russian tongue at the coronation of the Czars of Russia[27], who
regard themselves as the successors of the Greek Caesars.
The Russian Czar is crowned at Moscow in the Cathedral of the Assumption
(Uspenski Sobor). The imperial procession is met at the church door
by the Metropolitan, who blesses the Emperor and Empress with holy
water and censes them. Entering the church they make their devotions
and ascend to their thrones. The 101st Psalm is sung, after which the
Emperor is interrogated as to his belief, and recites in a loud voice
the Nicene Creed. Then is sung the hymn ‘O Heavenly King, O Paraclete,’
and after the Litany (Synapte) the hymn, ‘O Lord, save thy people’ is
sung thrice, and the lections follow at once; the Prophecy (Is. xlix.
13-19), the Epistle (Ro. xii. 1-7), and the Gospel (Matt. xxii. 15-22).
The Emperor now assumes the purple robe, assisted by the Metropolitan
who says, ‘In the name of the Father,’ etc. The Emperor bares his head
and the Metropolitan making the sign of the cross over it and laying
on his hand recites the prayer, ‘O Lord our God’ (cp. p. 22), and then
the prayer of the Bowing of the head, ‘To Thee alone’ (cp. p. 23). The
Metropolitan now presents the Crown to the Emperor, who puts it on his
head, the Metropolitan saying, ‘In the name of the Father,’ etc., and
then proceeding to explain the symbolical meaning of the crown. Next the
Metropolitan gives the Sceptre into the Czar’s right hand and the Orb
into his left, saying, ‘In the name of the Father,’ etc., and explaining
the symbolical meaning of these ornaments.
The Czar then seats himself on his throne and the Czarina is summoned.
The Czar takes off his Crown and with it touches the brow of the Czarina,
and then replaces it on his head. He then sets a smaller Crown on the
Czarina’s head, and she immediately assumes the purple robe and the Order
of St Andrew.
Thereupon the Archdeacon proclaims the titles of the Czar and Czarina,
and the clergy and the assembled company do homage by making three
obeisances to the Czar.
The Czar then gives the Sceptre and Orb to the appointed officers, and
kneeling down says a prayer for himself that he may worthily fulfil his
high office, after which the Metropolitan says a prayer on his behalf.
_Te Deum_ is sung and the Liturgy proceeds.
The Anointing takes place after the Communion hymn (κοινωνικόν). Two
bishops summon the Czar, who takes his stand near the Royal Gates, the
Czarina a little behind him, both in their purple robes, and there the
Czar is anointed on the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, breast,
and on both sides of his hands by the senior Metropolitan, who says: ‘The
seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost.’ The Czarina is then anointed with
the same words, but on her forehead only.
After he has been anointed, the Czar is conducted through the Royal Gates
and receives the Holy Sacrament in both kinds separately, as if he were
a priest, and then are given the Antidoron and wine with warm water, and
water to wash his mouth and hands. The Czarina is communicated in the
usual manner at the Royal Gates, and is given the Antidoron, wine, and
water.
The Father Confessor reads before the imperial pair, who have returned
to their seats, the Thanksgiving for Communion. After the dismissal
the Archdeacon says the royal anthem, πολυχρόνιον, the choir repeating
thrice the last part, ‘Many years,’ and the clergy and laity then
present congratulate their Majesties, bowing thrice towards them. The
Metropolitan presents the cross for the Czar and Czarina to kiss, and the
imperial procession leaves the church.
THE ABYSSINIAN RITE
A curious and unique variety of the Eastern rite survives to this day in
Abyssinia[28].
The Negus enters Axum in state, accompanied by his principal officers.
At a little distance from the church he alights, and his progress is
barred by a cord held across the road by young girls. Thrice they ask
him who he is, and at first he answers that he is King of Jerusalem, or
King of Sion, and at the third interrogation he draws his sword and cuts
the cord, the girls thereupon crying out that he verily is their king,
the King of Sion. He is met at the entrance of the church (or sometimes
apparently in a tent which is perhaps a moveable church)[29] by the Abuna
and the clergy, and enters to the accompaniment of music. He is anointed
by the Abuna with sweet oil, all the priests present singing psalms the
meanwhile. He is next invested with a royal mantle. Finally a crown of
gold and silver, in the shape of a tiara and surmounted by a cross, is
set on his head, and a naked sword denoting Justice is placed in his
hand. The liturgy is then celebrated, and the Negus receives the Holy
Sacrament. When he leaves the church the first chaplain ascends a lofty
place and proclaims to the people that N. has been made to reign, and the
assembly greet the new monarch with acclamations and good wishes, and
come forward in order to kiss his hand.
Unfortunately none of the forms of this rite are accessible. The chief
point of interest in it lies in the fact that the Negus is anointed.
In view of the obscurity which shrouds the history of Abyssinia during
the six centuries which followed the Arab conquest of Egypt it would
be precarious to say whence this rite with the accompanying anointing
was derived. It may have been an independent development in Abyssinia,
derived from the accounts of the anointing of kings found in the Old
Testament, more especially as many Judaising practices survive in
Abyssinia.