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E01833: Gregory of Nyssa in his Letter 20 of c. 379, describes the private villa of his friend, Adelphios Scholastikos, at Ouanota in Cappadocia (central Asia Minor), mentioning an unfinished oratory dedicated to martyrs. Written in Greek in Cappadocia.
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posted on 2016-09-03, 00:00 authored by erizosGregory of Nyssa, Letters (CPG 3167), Letter 20
Πρὸς Ἀδέλφιον σχολαστικόν
(8-10) εἶτα πόρρωθεν ἡμῖν οἷόν τις πυρσὸς ἐκ φρυκτωρίας μεγάλης ἡ τῶν οἰκοδομημάτων χάρις ἐπέλαμπεν, <ἐν> ἀριστερᾷ μὲν εἰσιόντων ὁ εὐκτήριος οἶκος τοῖς μάρτυσιν ἡτοιμασμένος, οὔπω μὲν τὸ τέλειον τῆς δομήσεως ἔχων ἀλλ’ ἔτι τῷ ὀρόφῳ λειπόμενος, λάμπων δὲ ὅμως· κατ’ εὐθὺ δὲ ἦν τῆς ὁδοῦ τὰ τῆς οἰκήσεως κάλλη, ἄλλο πρὸς ἄλλο τι τῶν κατὰ τρυφὴν ἐπινενοημένων μεμερισμένα, πύργων προβολαὶ καὶ συμποσίων παρασκευαὶ ἐν εὐρυχώροις τε καὶ ὑψορόφοις πλατάνων στίχοις πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν στεφανοῦντες τὴν εἴσοδον, εἶτα περὶ τοὺς οἴκους οἱ Φαιάκιοι κῆποι.
‘To Adelphios, the scholastikos'
(......) Then from afar, like some flare on a great beacon-tower, the loveliness of the buildings shone out upon us. On the left as we entered was the oratory which has been built to the martyrs. Its structure was not yet complete, for it still lacks a roof, yet it is resplendent all the same. Straight ahead of us on the road were the beauties of the house, each one of them being dedicated to a different contrivance of delight, tower terraces and banqueting preparations among spacious and high-arched rows of plane-trees, crowning the entrance before the gates, and then, around the buildings, the Phaeacian gardens. (......)’
Text: Maraval 1990
Translation: Silvas 2007 (modified)
Πρὸς Ἀδέλφιον σχολαστικόν
(8-10) εἶτα πόρρωθεν ἡμῖν οἷόν τις πυρσὸς ἐκ φρυκτωρίας μεγάλης ἡ τῶν οἰκοδομημάτων χάρις ἐπέλαμπεν, <ἐν> ἀριστερᾷ μὲν εἰσιόντων ὁ εὐκτήριος οἶκος τοῖς μάρτυσιν ἡτοιμασμένος, οὔπω μὲν τὸ τέλειον τῆς δομήσεως ἔχων ἀλλ’ ἔτι τῷ ὀρόφῳ λειπόμενος, λάμπων δὲ ὅμως· κατ’ εὐθὺ δὲ ἦν τῆς ὁδοῦ τὰ τῆς οἰκήσεως κάλλη, ἄλλο πρὸς ἄλλο τι τῶν κατὰ τρυφὴν ἐπινενοημένων μεμερισμένα, πύργων προβολαὶ καὶ συμποσίων παρασκευαὶ ἐν εὐρυχώροις τε καὶ ὑψορόφοις πλατάνων στίχοις πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν στεφανοῦντες τὴν εἴσοδον, εἶτα περὶ τοὺς οἴκους οἱ Φαιάκιοι κῆποι.
‘To Adelphios, the scholastikos'
(......) Then from afar, like some flare on a great beacon-tower, the loveliness of the buildings shone out upon us. On the left as we entered was the oratory which has been built to the martyrs. Its structure was not yet complete, for it still lacks a roof, yet it is resplendent all the same. Straight ahead of us on the road were the beauties of the house, each one of them being dedicated to a different contrivance of delight, tower terraces and banqueting preparations among spacious and high-arched rows of plane-trees, crowning the entrance before the gates, and then, around the buildings, the Phaeacian gardens. (......)’
Text: Maraval 1990
Translation: Silvas 2007 (modified)