New Valamo monastery Pyhän Nikolaoksen tsasouna

''Eukterion'' ( el, εὑκτήριον), or ''eukterios oikos'' (εὑκτήριος οἰ̑κος), literally meaning "a house of prayer", was a term used in the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and some other

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

societies such as

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

to refer to private churches— oratories and

chapels A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

—that were distinct from, or attached to, the main places of public worship (''katholikai ekklesiai''). The legality of chapels in private houses was a controversial issue in the

Byzantine law Byzantine law was essentially a continuation of Roman law with increased Orthodox Christian and Hellenistic influence. Most sources define ''Byzantine law'' as the Roman legal traditions starting after the reign of Justinian I in the 6th century ...

for centuries. In order to ensure that private ''eukteria'' remained separate and did not overburden the church's structure, as well as to prevent the dissemination of

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

, the emperor

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...

() introduced several preconditions for their construction and ordered some restrictions, including a ban on celebrating the

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

in the oratories of private houses. The

Council in Trullo The Quinisext Council (Latin: ''Concilium Quinisextum''; Koine Greek: , ''Penthékti Sýnodos''), i.e. the Fifth-Sixth Council, often called the Council ''in Trullo'', Trullan Council, or the Penthekte Synod, was a church council held in 692 at ...

in 692 extended the prohibition to

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

. Under

Leo VI Leo VI (or Leon VI, notably in Greek) may refer to : * Leo VI the Wise, Byzantine emperor 886 to 912 * Pope Leo VI, 928 to 929 * King Leo VI of Armenia (1342 – 1393), of the House of Lusignan, last Latin king of the Armenian crusader Kingdom of C ...

(), the restrictions were lifted, but the later patriarch Alexios Stoudites decided that this relaxation had led to many abuses and deprived bishops of much of control over the clergy and diocesan properties; in 1028, he forbade the use of ''eukteria'' for any service apart from the liturgy.

Theodore Balsamon Theodore Balsamon ( el, Θεόδωρος Βαλσαμῶν) was a canonist of the Eastern Orthodox Church and 12th-century Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. Biography Born in the second half of the 12th century at Constantinople; died there, ...

, the leading 12th-century Byzantine

canonist Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

, upheld the right of patrons to have regular liturgies and baptisms in their ''eukteria'', but he was against the idea of anyone using a religious institution for his personal financial advantage. According to him, an ''eukterios oikos'' was a church that lacked consecration through

chrismation Chrismation consists of the sacrament or mystery in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, as well as in the Assyrian Church of the East initiation rites. The sacrament is more commonly known in the West as conf ...

, deposition of martyr relics, and enthronement of the officiating prelate.

Notes

References

* * {{cite book , last1=Thomas , first1=John Philip , title=Private Religious Foundations in the Byzantine Empire , date=1987 , publisher=Dumbarton Oaks , isbn=9780884021643 Chapels Types of church buildings Greek words and phrases Byzantine culture Eastern Orthodoxy-related controversies