Liturgical year
Western
Advent Christmastide Epiphany Lent Easter Triduum Easter season Feast of the Ascension Pentecost Ordinary Time
Eastern
Feast of Cross Nativity Fast Nativity Theophany Great Lent Pascha Pentecost Apostles' Fast Great Feasts Transfiguration Dormition Protection

Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important fasting season in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Pascha (Easter). The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when Advent (from the Latin word la ''adventus'' meaning "coming" is a season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the Christmastide (also Christmas or the Christmas season) is one of the seasons of the Liturgical year of most Christian churches Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Easter Triduum, Holy Triduum, or Paschal Triduum is a term used by some Christian churches particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastertide, or the Easter Season, or Paschal Time, is the period of fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday The general and most common understanding of the Christian Doctrine of Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to Heaven in the presence Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the Ordinary Time is a season of the Christian (especially the Catholic) Liturgical calendar In the Christian Liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the The Nativity Fast, is a period abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches, in preparation For depictions in painting and sculpture see Nativity of Jesus in art. Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported by the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus is transfigured upon a mountain (,) The Dormition of the Theotokos ( Greek: Koimesis) is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all Food, Drink, or both for a period of time The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when Families of churches Eastern Christians have a shared tradition but they became divided ( Schism) during the early centuries of Christianity in disputes about Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent (besides calculating the date of Easter), the underlying theology, and how it is practiced, both liturgically in the public worship of the church and individually. Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Western Christianity is a term used to cover the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the Churches of the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church

Contents 1 Duration 2 Purpose 3 Observance 3.1 Self discipline 3.2 Liturgical observances 3.2.1 Prayer for the dead 3.2.2 Feast days 3.3 Readings 4 Outline 4.1 Pre-Lenten period 4.1.1 Zacchaeus Sunday 4.1.2 Publican and Pharisee 4.1.3 Prodigal Son 4.1.4 Meatfare Week 4.1.5 Cheesefare Week 4.2 The Great Forty Days 4.2.1 Clean Week 4.2.2 Second Week 4.2.3 Third Week 4.2.4 Fourth Week 4.2.5 Fifth Week 4.2.6 Sixth Week 4.3 Holy Week 4.3.1 Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 4.3.2 Holy Thursday 4.3.3 Good Friday 4.3.4 Holy Saturday 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

Duration

One difference between Eastern Christianity and Western Christianity is the calculation of the date of Easter (see Computus). Computus ( Latin for Computation) is the Calculation of the date of Easter in the Christian calendar. Most years, the Eastern Pascha falls after the Western Easter, and it may be as much as five weeks later; occasionally, the two dates coincide. Like Western Lent, Great Lent itself lasts for forty days, but unlike the West, Sundays are included in the count. Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Great Lent officially begins on Clean Monday, seven weeks before Pascha (Ash Wednesday is not observed in Eastern Christianity) and runs for 40 contiguous days, concluding with the Presanctified Liturgy on Friday of the Sixth Week. Clean Monday ( Greek: Καθαρά Δευτέρα also known as Pure Monday, Ash Monday, Monday of Lent or (in Cyprus only In the Western Christian Calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty days before Easter (excluding Sundays The next day is called Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday. Lazarus Saturday, in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, is the day before Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian Moveable feast which always falls on the Sunday before Easter. However, fasting continues throughout the following week, known as Passion Week or Holy Week, and does not end until after the Paschal Vigil early in the morning of Pascha (Easter Sunday). Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter. The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration

Purpose

The purpose of Great Lent is to prepare the faithful to not only commemorate, but to enter into the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus. This article describes the Christian Passion For other meanings see Passion. Within the body of Christian beliefs the resurrection of Jesus is a core event on which much of Christian doctrine and theology depend The totality of the Orthodox life centers around the Resurrection. ^[1] Great Lent is intended to be a "workshop" where the character of the believer is spiritually uplifted and strengthened; where his life is rededicated to the principles and ideals of the Gospel; where fasting and prayer culminate in deep conviction of life; where apathy and disinterest turn into vigorous activities of faith and good works. Lent is not for the sake of Lent itself, as fasting is not for the sake of fasting. Rather, these are means by which and for which the individual believer prepares himself to reach for, accept and attain the calling of his Savior. Therefore, the significance of Great Lent is highly appraised, not only by the monks who gradually increased the length of time of the Lent, but also by the lay people themselves. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective In religious organizations the laity comprises all persons who are not Clergy. In the Orthodox Church, asceticism is not exclusively for the "professional" religious, but for each layperson as well, according to their strength. Ascetic redirects here You might also be looking for Acetic acid. As such, Great Lent is a sacred Institute of the Church to serve the individual believer in participating as a member of the Mystical Body of Christ. Body of Christ is a term of Christian Theology, implicitly traceable to Jesus 's statement at the Last Supper that "This is my body" It provides each person an annual opportunity for self-examination and improving the standards of faith and morals in his Christian life. The deep intent of the believer during Great Lent is encapsulated in the words of Saint Paul: "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and

Observance

Self discipline

Observance of Great Lent is characterized by abstinence from certain foods, intensified private and public prayer, self-examination, confession, personal improvement, repentance and restitution for sins committed, and almsgiving. Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure The confession of one's Sins is a religious practice important to many faiths e Repentance is a change of thought and action to correct a wrong and gain Forgiveness from the one wronged The law of restitution is the law of gains-based recovery It is to be contrasted with the law of compensation, which is the law of loss-based recovery Alms or almsgiving exists in a number of religions In general it involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue The foods traditionally abstained from are meat and dairy products, fish, wine and oil. (According to some traditions, only olive oil is abstained from; in others, all vegetable oils. ) Since strict fasting is canonically forbidden on the Sabbath and the Lord's Day, wine and oil are permitted on Saturdays and Sundays. In Christianity, the Sabbath is generally a weekly religious Day of rest as ordained by one of the Ten Commandments (the third by Roman Catholic Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In the Jewish law it is the first day of the Hebrew calendar week If the Great Feast of the Annunciation falls during Great Lent, then fish, wine and oil are permitted on that day. The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In Christianity the Annunciation ( grc Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, Evangelismós tēs Theotókou in Greek) is the revelation

Besides the additional liturgical celebrations described below, Orthodox Christians are expected to pay closer attention to and increase their private prayer. According to Orthodox theology, when asceticism is increased, prayer must be increased also. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective The Church Fathers have referred to fasting without prayer as "the fast of the demons" since the demons do not eat according to their incorporeal nature, but neither do they pray. The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church

Liturgical observances

Great Lent is unique in that, liturgically, the weeks do not run from Sunday to Saturday, but rather begin on Monday and end on Sunday, and most weeks are named for the lesson from the Gospel which will be read at the Divine Liturgy on its concluding Sunday. This is to illustrate that the entire season is anticipatory, leading up to the greatest Sunday of all: Pascha.

During the Great Fast, a special service book is used, known as the Lenten Triodion, which contains the Lenten texts for the Daily Office (Canonical Hours) and Liturgies. The Triodion (Τριῴδιον Triōdion; Slavonic: Постнаѧ Трїωдь Postnaya Triod; Triodul also called the Lenten Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round The Triodion begins during the Pre-Lenten period to supplement or replace portions of the regular services. This replacement begins gradually, initially effecting only the Epistle and Gospel readings, and gradually increases until Holy Week when it entirely replaces all other liturgical material (during the Triduum even the Psalter is eliminated, and all texts are taken exclusively from the Triodion). An epistle (pronounced) ( Greek επιστολη epistolē "letter" is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons usually a letter This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament Easter Triduum, Holy Triduum, or Paschal Triduum is a term used by some Christian churches particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the A Psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms and which often contains other devotional material The Triodion is used until the lights are extinguished before midnight at the Paschal Vigil, at which time it is replaced by the Pentecostarion, which begins by replacing the normal services entirely (during Bright Week) and gradually diminishes until the normal services resume following the Afterfeast of Pentecost. The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration The Pentecostarion ( Greek: Πεντηκοστάριον Pentekostárion; Slavonic: Цвѣтнаѧ Трїωдь Tsvyetnaya Triod' Bright Week Lambri --> or Renewal Week is the name used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine An Afterfeast is a period of celebration attached to one of the Great Feasts celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches (roughly equivalent to Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the

On weekdays of Great Lent, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated, because the joy of the Eucharist (literally "Thanksgiving") is contrary to the attitude of repentance which predominates on these days. The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those However, since it is considered especially important to receive the Holy Mysteries (Holy Communion) during this season, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts—also called the Liturgy of St. Gregory the Dialogist— may be celebrated on weekdays. The term sacred mysteries generally denotes the area of Supernatural phenomena associated with a Divinity or a religious ideology. The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, informally Presanctified Liturgy, is an Eastern Christian liturgical service for the distribution of communion Technically, this is not actually a Divine Liturgy, but rather a Vespers service at which a portion of the Body and Blood of Christ, which was reserved the previous Sunday, are distributed to the faithful. Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the The Lamb ( Greek:άμνος amnos; Slavonic: Агнецъ agnets) is the square portion of bread cut from the Prosphora in the Body of Christ is a term of Christian Theology, implicitly traceable to Jesus 's statement at the Last Supper that "This is my body" The Blood of Christ in Christian Theology refers to (a the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ on the Cross, and the salvation which Christianity In Christian practice during the Liturgy of the Eucharist the elements of Bread and Wine become the Body and Blood Most parishes and monasteries celebrate this Liturgy only on Wednesdays, Fridays and feast days, but it may be celebrated on any weekday of Great Lent. A parish church, in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a Parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Because the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated on weekdays, it is replaced with the Typica, even on days when the Presanctified Liturgy is celebrated. The term Typica may be used among Orthodox Christians with two distinct meanings (a a description of the fact that within the Church there are a variety of liturgical practices On Saturday and Sunday the Divine Liturgy may be celebrated as usual. On Saturdays, the usual St. John Chrysostom is celebrated; on Sundays the more solemn and penitential Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is used. This article refers to the Christian saint For other uses of the name see Chrysostomos. The Liturgy of Saint Basil or more formally the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, is a term for several Eastern Christian celebrations of the Divine

The services of the Canonical Hours are much longer during Great Lent. Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round In addition to doubling the number of Psalms read, the structure of the services is different on weekdays. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included In the evening, instead of the normal Compline (the final service before retiring at night), the much longer service of Great Compline is chanted. Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the In the Greek practice, ordinary Compline is chanted on Friday night together with the Akathist to the Theotokos (Mother of God). The Akathist Hymn (Ἀκάθιστος Ύμνος unseated hymn) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian Hymn dedicated to a Saint, holy Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, The Akathist is divided into four sections and one section is chanted on each of the first four Friday nights of Great Lent. Then the Akathist is chanted in its entirety at Matins in the Fifth Saturday. In the Slavic usage, Great Compline is chanted on Friday night—though some parts are read rather than sung as they are on other weeknights, and some Lenten material is replaced by non-Lenten hymns—and the Akathist is not chanted until Matins of the fifth Saturday.

An interesting difference between the Eastern and Western observances is that while in the West the chanting of Alleluia ceases during Lent, in the East its use is increased. The Alleluia is chanted before the Gospel lesson in the Eucharistic Liturgies of the various Christian liturgical rites. Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. This is because for the Orthodox, fasting should be joyous (cf. Matthew 6:16), and the sense of unworthiness must always be tempered with hope in God's forgiveness. ^[2] In fact, days which follow the Lenten pattern of services are referred to as "days with Alleluia". This theme of "Lenten joy" is also found in many of the hymns of the Triodion, such as the stichera which begin with the words: "The Lenten Spring has dawned!. A sticheron (plural stichera) is a particular kind of Hymn used in the Divine Liturgy, Acolouthia ( Daily office) or other services . . " (Vespers Aposticha, Wednesday of Cheesefare Week) and "Now is the season of repentance; let us begin it joyfully, O brethren. Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the . . " (Matins, Second Canon, Ode 8, Monday of Cheesefare Week). Matins (also known as Orthros or Oútrenya in Eastern Churches) is the early morning or night Prayer service in the Roman Catholic A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services

The making of prostrations during the services increases as well. Prostration is the placement of the body in a Reverentially or Submissively Prone position The one prayer that typifies the Lenten services is the Prayer of Saint Ephrem, which is said at each service on weekdays, accompanied by full prostrations. Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit The Prayer of Righteous Ephrem ( Greek:, Euchē tou Hosiou Ephraim) is a prayer attributed to Saint Ephrem the Syrian used with emphasis during the Poyasny ("little bow" and zemnoy poklon ("great bow" are different kinds of bows used in an Eastern Orthodox worship service One translation of it reads:

O Lord and master of my life! a spirit of idleness, despondency, ambition and idle-talking, give me not.
But rather, a spirit of chastity, humble-mindedness, patience and charity, bestow upon me Thy servant.
Yea, my king and Lord, grant me to see my own failings and refrain from judging others: For blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen.

The public reading of Scripture is increased during Great Lent. The Psalter (Book of Psalms) is normally read through once a week during the course of the Daily Office; however, during Great Lent, the number of Psalms is increased so that the entire Psalter is read through twice during each of the Six Weeks (during Holy Week it is read through once). A Psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms and which often contains other devotional material Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Readings from the Old Testament are also increased, with the Books of Genesis, Proverbs and Isaiah being read through almost in their entirety at the Sixth Hour and Vespers (during Cheesefare Week, the readings at these services are taken from Joel and Zechariah, while during Holy Week they are from Exodus, Ezekiel and Job). In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, and thus also one of the books of the Old Testament. The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived Sext, or Sixth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the The Book of Joel is part of the Jewish Tanakh, and also the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The Book of Zechariah is a book of the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh attributed to the Prophet Zechariah. Exodus ( Greek: έξοδος eksodos = "departure" is the second book of the Jewish Torah and of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Ezekiel is a book of the Hebrew Bible (of the Books of the Bible) named after the prophet Ezekiel. The Book of Job ( איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. Uniquely, on weekdays of Great Lent there is no public reading of the Epistles or Gospels. An epistle (pronounced) ( Greek επιστολη epistolē "letter" is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons usually a letter This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament This is because the readings are particular to the Divine Liturgy, which is not celebrated on weekdays of Great Lent. There are, however, Epistles and Gospels appointed for each Saturday and Sunday.

Prayer for the dead

During the Great Fast, the church also increases its prayer for the dead, not only reminding the believer of his own mortality, and thus increasing the spirit of penitence, but also to remind him of his Christian obligation of charity in praying for the departed. Wherever there is a belief in the continued existence of Man 's personality through and after Death, Religion naturally concerns itself with the relations A number of Saturdays during Great Lent are Saturdays of the Dead, with many of the hymns of the Daily Office and at the Divine Liturgy dedicated to remembrance of the departed. In Western Christianity, All Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. These Saturdays are:

• The Saturday of Meatfare Week
• The Second Saturday of Great Lent
• The Third Saturday of Great Lent
• The Fourth Saturday of Great Lent

In addition, the Litya, a brief prayer service for the departed, may be served on each weekday of Great Lent, provided there is no feast day or special observance on that day. The service In the Eastern Church, the various prayers for the departed have as their purpose to pray for the repose of the departed to comfort the living The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints

Feast days

Since the season of Great Lent is moveable, beginning on different dates from year to year, accommodation must be made for various feast days on the fixed calendar (Menaion) which occur during the season. The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Menaion ( Greek: Μηναίον Slavonic: Минеѧ Minéya, "of the month" refers to the annual fixed cycle of services in When these feasts fall a weekday of Great Lent, the normal Lenten aspect of the services is lessened to celebrate the solemnity.

The most important of these fixed feasts is the Great Feast of the Annunciation (March 25), which is considered to be so important that it is never moved, even if it should fall on the Sunday of Pascha itself (a rare and special occurrence which is known as Kyrio-Pascha). The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In Christianity the Annunciation ( grc Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, Evangelismós tēs Theotókou in Greek) is the revelation The fast is also lessened, and the faithful are allowed to eat fish (unless it is Good Friday or Holy Saturday). Whereas on other weekdays of Great Lent, no celebration of the Divine Liturgy is permitted, there is a Liturgy (usually the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom) celebrated on Annunciation—even if it falls on Good Friday. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha"

When the feast day of the patron saint of the parish church or monastery falls on a weekday of Great Lent, there is no Liturgy (other than the Presanctified), but fish is allowed at the meal. The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members A parish church, in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a Parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. In some churches the feast of a patron saint is moved to the nearest Saturday (excluding the Saturday of the Akathist), and in other churches, it is celebrated on the day of the feast itself.

When some other important feast occurs on a weekday, such as the First and Second Finding of the Head of John the Baptist (February 24), the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March 9), etc. This article is about the biblical event and the liturgical commemoration of it The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste or the Holy Forty (Ancient/ Katharevousa Greek Ἃγιοι Τεσσεράκοντα Demotic Άγιοι Σαράντα , it is usually combined with the Lenten service, and wine and oil are allowed at the meal.

Regardless of the rank of the feast being celebrated, the Lenten hymns contained in the Triodion are never omitted, but are always chanted in their entirety, even on the feast of the Annunciation.

On the Saturdays, Sundays, and a number of weekdays during Great Lent, the service materials from the Triodion leave no room for the commemoration of the Saint of the day from the Menaion. The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints The Menaion ( Greek: Μηναίον Slavonic: Минеѧ Minéya, "of the month" refers to the annual fixed cycle of services in In order that their services not be completely forgotten, a portion of them (their canon at Matins, and their stichera from "Lord I Have Cried" at Vespers) is chanted at Compline. Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the

Readings

In addition to the added readings from Scripture, spiritual books by the Church Fathers are recommended during the Fast. The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church

One book commonly read during Great Lent, particularly by monastics, is The Ladder of Divine Ascent, which was written in about the seventh century by St. John of the Ladder when he was the Hegumen (Abbot) of St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai. Monasticism (from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from Greek monos, alone is the religious practice in which one The Ladder of Divine Ascent or Ladder of Paradise (Κλίμαξ Scala or Climax Paradisi) is an important work for Monasticism Saint John Climacus ( c 525 – March 30 606) also known as John of the Ladder, John Scholasticus and John Sinaites, was a Hegumen, hegumenos, or ihumen ( Greek: ἡγούμενος; Macedonian, Bulgarian and Russian: игумен Saint Catherine's Monastery ( Greek:) on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of an inaccessible gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt is one For other places named Mount Sinai see Mount Sinai (disambiguation Mount Sinai (Arabic طور سيناء, Hebrew הר סיני also The theme of The Ladder is not Great Lent itself, but rather it deals with the ascent of the soul from earth to heaven; that is, from enslavement to the passions to the building up of the virtues and its eventual theosis (union with God), which is the goal of Great Lent. Virtue ( Latin virtus; Greek) is moral Excellence. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting individual In Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic theology theosis (written also theiosis, theopoiesis, theōsis The Ladder is usually read in the trapeza (refectory) during meals, but it may alternatively be read during the Little Hours on weekdays so that everyone can hear. Trapeza redirects here for the prehistoric Greek settlement see Trapeza Crete. ~The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Divine Office of Chrisitians both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church Many of the laity also read The Ladder privately during Great Lent. In religious organizations the laity comprises all persons who are not Clergy.

Besides the Ladder, in some monasteries the Paradise of the Holy Fathers by Palladius and the penitential sermons of St. The Lausiac History is a seminal work archiving the Desert Fathers (early Christian Monks who lived in the Egyptian desert by Palladius of Galatia was Bishop of Helenopolis in Bithynia, and a devoted disciple of Saint John Chrysostom. A sermon is an oration by a Prophet or member of the Clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, or religious topic Ephrem the Syrian are read during Matins. Ephrem the Syrian ( Syriac: ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ Mor Afrêm Sûryāyâ; Greek:; Latin Matins (also known as Orthros or Oútrenya in Eastern Churches) is the early morning or night Prayer service in the Roman Catholic

Outline

Main article: Paschal cycle

Liturgically, the period of the Triodion can be divided into three sections: (1) the Pre-Lenten period, (2) the Great Forty Days, and (3) Holy Week. The Paschal cycle in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches is the cycle of the Moveable feasts built around Pascha (Easter

Pre-Lenten period

Main article: Pre-Lenten Season

Before the forty days of Great Lent commence, there is a three-week Pre-Lenten season, to prepare the faithful for the spiritual work they are to accomplish during the Great Fast. The Pre-Lenten Season (see also Septuagesima) is the period of preparation before the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. During this period many of the themes which will be developed in the liturgical texts of the forty days are introduced. Each week runs from Monday to Sunday and is named for the Gospel theme of the Sunday which concludes it.

In the Slavic tradition, with the addition of Zacchaeus Sunday, some regard the pre-Penten period as lasting four weeks, but there are no liturgical indications that the week following the fifth Sunday before Lent (whether preceded by Zacchaeus Sunday or otherwise) is in any way Lenten, because Zacchaeus Sunday falls outside the Triodion, the liturgical book which governs the pre-Lenten period and Lent itself. The Triodion (Τριῴδιον Triōdion; Slavonic: Постнаѧ Трїωдь Postnaya Triod; Triodul also called the Lenten A liturgical book is a book published by the authority of a Church, that contains the text and directions for the Liturgy of its official Religious services

Zacchaeus Sunday

In the Slavic liturgical traditions, Zacchaeus Sunday occurs on the fifth Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent (which starts on a Monday). Though there are no materials provided in the Lenten Triodion for this day, it is the very first day that is affected by the date of the upcoming Pascha (all the preceding days having been affected by the previous Pascha). This day has one sole Pre-Lenten feature: the Gospel reading is always the account of Zacchaeus from Luke 19:1-10, for which reason this Sunday is referred to as "Zacchaeus Sunday" (though the week before is not called "Zacchaeus week"). This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament Zacchaeus (Greek Ζακχαῖος Hebrew זכי which means pure) was a superintendent of customs a chief tax-gatherer (publicanus at Jericho ( This reading actually falls at the end of the lectionary cycle, being assigned to the 32nd Week after Pentecost. A Lectionary is a book or listing that contains a collection of Scripture readings appointed for Christian or Judaic worship on a given day or occasion However, depending upon the date of the upcoming Pascha, the readings of the preceding weeks are either skipped (if Pascha will be early) or repeated (if it will be late) so that the readings for the 32nd Sunday after Pentecost always occur on the Sunday preceding the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee.

In the Byzantine ("Greek") liturgical traditions, the Gospel reading for Zacchaeus remains in the normal lectionary cycle and does not always fall on the fifth Sunday before Lent.

The Lenten significance of the Gospel account of Zacchaeus is that it introduces the themes of pious zeal (Zacchaeus' climbing up the sycamore tree; Jesus' words: "Jacchaeus, make haste"), restraint (Jesus' words: "come down"), making a place for Jesus in the heart ("I must abide at thy house"), overcoming gossip ("And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner"), repentance and almsgiving ("And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold"), forgiveness and reconciliation ("And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham"), and the reason for the Passion and Resurrection ("For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost").

The Epistle reading for Zacchaeus Sunday is 1 Timothy 4:9-15, which in and of itself has no Lenten theme, other than as an admonition to righteous behaviour. An epistle (pronounced) ( Greek επιστολη epistolē "letter" is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons usually a letter

Publican and Pharisee

The reading on the Sunday which concludes this week is the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14). The parables of Jesus, found in the Synoptic gospels, embody much of Jesus ' teaching. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican is a Parable told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first day the Lenten Triodion is used (at Vespers or All-Night Vigil on Saturday night), though it is only used for the Sunday services, with nothing pertaining to weekdays or Saturday. Vespers is the evening Prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern (Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, liturgies of the For the musical setting by Rachmaninoff, see All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox The theme of the hymns and readings on this Sunday is dedicated to the lessons to be learned from the parable: that righteous actions alone do not lead to salvation, that pride renders good deeds fruitless, that God can only be approached through a spirit of humility and repentance, and that God justifies the humble rather than the self-righteous. The week which follows the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is a fast-free week, to remind the faithful not to be prideful in their fasting as the Pharisee was (Luke 18:12).

The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is also the first day that structural changes (as opposed to simply substituting Lenten hymns for normal hymns from the octoechos or menaion) are made to the Sunday services. The Octoechos ( Greek:; Slavonic: Октонхъ Oktoikh, or Осмогласникъ Osmoglasnik)&mdashliterally the book The Menaion ( Greek: Μηναίον Slavonic: Минеѧ Minéya, "of the month" refers to the annual fixed cycle of services in

Prodigal Son

The theme of this week is the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Again, the Triodion does not give propers for the weekdays. The Proper (Latin proprium) is a part of the Christian liturgy that varies according to the date either representing an observance within the Liturgical Year The Gospel Reading on Sunday lays out one of the most important themes of the Lenten season: the process of falling into of sin, realization of one's sinfulness, the road to repentance, and finally reconciliation, each of which is illustrated in the course of the parable.

Meatfare Week

The Saturday of this week is the first Saturday of the Dead observed during the Great Lenten season. In Western Christianity, All Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. The proper name in the typikon for the Sunday of this week is The Sunday of the Last Judgment, indicating the theme of the Gospel of the day (Matthew 25:31-46). The Typikon, or Typicon ( Greek:, (typikon lit "following the order" Slavonic: ѹставъ, (ustav is a Liturgical In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment or Day of the Lord is the judgment by God of every human who ever lived The popular name of "Meatfare Sunday" comes from the fast that this is the last day on which the laity are permitted to eat meat until Pascha (Orthodox monks and nuns never eat meat).

Cheesefare Week

Main article: Cheesefare Week

During Cheesefare Week the eating of dairy products is permitted on every day (even Wednesday and Friday, which are normally observed as fast days throughout the year), though meat may no longer be eaten any day of the week. Maslenitsa (Ма́сленица also known as Butter Week, Pancake week, or Cheesefare Week, is a Russian religious and folk holiday On the weekdays of this week, the first Lenten structural elements are introduced to the cycle of services on weekdays (the chanting of "Alleluia", the Prayer of Saint Ephrem, making prostrations, etc. ). Wednesday and Friday are the most Lenten, but some Lenten elements are also observed on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Cheesefare Saturday has no Lenten elements to it (as, in fact, is true of Saturdays throughout the Lenten period), but the hymns of the day celebrate the "Holy Ascetic Fathers". That is to say, all of the Holy Fathers (and Holy Mothers) who have shown forth in the monastic life.

Cheesefare Week is concluded on Cheesefare Sunday. Maslenitsa (Ма́сленица also known as Butter Week, Pancake week, or Cheesefare Week, is a Russian religious and folk holiday The proper name for this Sunday is The Sunday of Forgiveness, both because of the Gospel theme for the day (Matthew 6:14-21) and because it is the day on which everyone asks forgiveness of their neighbor. The popular name of "Cheesefare Sunday" derives from the fact that it is the last day to eat dairy products before Pascha. On this Sunday, Eastern Christians identify with Adam and Eve, and forgive each other in order to obtain forgiveness from God, typically in a Forgiveness Vespers service that Sunday evening. Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living During Forgiveness Vespers (on Sunday evening) the hangings and vestments in the church are changed to somber Lenten colours to reflect a penitential mood. An antependium (Latin "to hang before" pl antependia) more commonly known as a hanging, or when speaking specifically of the hanging Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religions especially the Latin Rite and other Roman Catholics At the end of the service comes the "Ceremony of Mutual Forgiveness" during which all of the people one by one ask forgiveness of one another, that the Great Fast may begin in a spirit of peace. During the ceremony the choir chants the Irmoi from the Canon of Pascha. The irmos is the initial verse of each individual Ode in a canon, sung by the choir from the Greek verb "to tie" meaning that it poetically connects A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year.

The Great Forty Days

The forty days of Great Lent last from Clean Monday until the Friday of the Sixth Week. Each of the Sundays of Great Lent has its own special commemoration, though these are not necessarily repeated during the preceding week. An exception is the Week of the Cross (the Fourth Week), during which the theme of the preceding Sunday—the Veneration of the Cross—is repeated throughout the week. In the Christian Liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the The themes introduced in the Pre-Lenten period continue to be developed throughout the forty days.

Clean Week

The first week of Great Lent starting on Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent. Clean Monday ( Greek: Καθαρά Δευτέρα also known as Pure Monday, Ash Monday, Monday of Lent or (in Cyprus only The name "Clean Week" refers to the spiritual cleansing each of the faithful is encouraged to undergo through fasting, prayer, repentance, reception of the Holy Mysteries and begging forgiveness of his neighbor. It is also traditionally a time for spring cleaning so that one's outward surroundings matches his inward disposition. Spring cleaning is the period in spring time set aside for cleaning a house normally applied in climates with a cold Winter.

Throughout this week fasting is most strict. Those who have the strength are encouraged to fast completely, eating only on Wednesday and Friday evenings, after the Presanctified Liturgy. Those who are unable to keep such a strict fast are encouraged to eat only a little, and then only xerophagy (uncooked food) once a day. Xerophagy means 'dry eating' In some instances this means bread and water only - particularly if being used as a form of discipline Meals are served on Saturday and Sunday, but these are fasting meals at which meat and dairy products are forbidden.

At Great Compline during the first four days of the Fast (Monday through Thursday) the Great Canon of St. Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the Andrew of Crete is divided into four parts and one part is chanted each night (for further information about the Great Canon, see Fifth Week, below). For the martyr of 766 of the same name see Andrew of Crete (martyr. Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important Fasting season in the Church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians

The First Saturday is called "St. Theodore Saturday" in honor of St. Theodore the Recruit, a fourth century martyr. Saint Theodore of Amasea (d 306 Amasenus, now Amasya Turkey) is one of the Greek Military saints of the 4th century the earlier Patron saint The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom At the end of the Presanctified Liturgy on Friday (since, liturgically, the day begins at sunset) a special canon to St. Theodore, composed by St. John of Damascus, is chanted. Chrysorrhoas redirects here For the river see Barada. Saint John of Damascus ( Arabic: يوحنا الدمشقي Then the priest blesses kolyva (boiled wheat with honey and raisins) which is distributed to the faithful in commemoration of the following miracle worked by St. Koliva (also transliterated Kolyva) ( Greek, κόλλυβα, kólliva; Serbian, кољиво, koljivo; Theodore on the First Saturday of Great Lent: Fifty years after the death of St Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), as a part of his general policy of persecution of Christians, commanded the governor of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to pagan idols, knowing that the people would be hungry after the strict fasting of the first week. Flavius Claudius Julianus, known also as Julian or Julian the Apostate (331 or 332 to 26 June 363) was Roman Emperor (Caesar The persecution of Christians refers to the Religious persecution of Christians both historically and in the current era Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS St Theodore appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva). Eudoxius (died 370 was the eighth Bishop of Constantinople from January 27 360 to 370 previously bishop of Germanicia and of Antioch

The First Sunday of Great Lent is the Feast of Orthodoxy, which commemorates the restoration of the veneration of icons after the Iconoclast controversy, which is considered to be the triumph of the Church over the last of the great heresies which troubled her (all later heresies being simply a rehashing of earlier ones). The Feast of Orthodoxy (also knowns as the Sunday of Orthodoxy or the Triumph of Orthodoxy) is celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent (six Sundays In Christianity, veneration ( Latin veneratio, Greek &delta&omicron&upsilon&lambda&iota&alpha dulia) or veneration of saints An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Before the Divine Liturgy on this day, a special service, known as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" is held in cathedrals and major monasteries, at which the synodicon (containing anathemas against various heresies, and encomia of those who have held fast to the Christian faith) is proclaimed. The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. The Feast of Orthodoxy (also knowns as the Sunday of Orthodoxy or the Triumph of Orthodoxy) is celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent (six Sundays This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral Anathema (in Greek Ανάθεμα meaning originally something lifted up as an offering to the gods later with evolving meanings it came to mean to be formally Encomium is a Latin word deriving from the Classical Greek ἐγκώμιον ( encomion) meaning the praise of a person or thing The theme of the day is the victory of the True Faith over heresy. "This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith" (1 John 5:4). Also, the icons of the saints bear witness that man, "created in the image and likeness of God" (Genesis 1:26), may become holy and godlike through the purification of himself as God's living image. In Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic theology theosis (written also theiosis, theopoiesis, theōsis

The First Sunday of Great Lent originally commemorated the Prophets such as Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ This article is about Aaron the Levite in the Hebrew Bible, the Qu'ran, and other sources Samuel ( Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל, Standard Šəmuʼel Tiberian Šəmûʼēl) is an important The Liturgy's Prokeimenon and alleluia verses as well as the Epistle and Gospel readings appointed for the day continue to reflect this older usage. In the liturgical practice of the Orthodox Church, a Prokeimenon ( Greek Προκειμενον plural prokeimena; sometimes prokimenon / The Alleluia is chanted before the Gospel lesson in the Eucharistic Liturgies of the various Christian liturgical rites. An epistle (pronounced) ( Greek επιστολη epistolē "letter" is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons usually a letter This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament

Second Week

On the Second Sunday of Great Lent commemorates St. Gregory Palamas, the great defender of the Orthodox Church's doctrine of Hesychasm against its attack by Barlaam of Calabria. Saint Gregory Palamas (Γρηγόριος Παλαμάς (1296 - 1359 was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece and later the Archbishop of Doctrine (Latin doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings quot or "instructions" taught principles or positions as the Hesychasm ( Greek hesychasmos, from hesychia, "stillness rest quiet silence" is an Eremitic tradition of Prayer in Barlaam of Seminara (ca 1290-1348 or Barlaam of Calabria was a Greek / Italian scholar ( Aristotelian scholastic) and clergyman of

Third Week

The Veneration of the Cross is celebrated on the third Sunday. In the Christian Liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the The veneration comes on this day because it is the midpoint of the forty days. The services for this day are similar to those on the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14). The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the Christian Liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the During the All-Night Vigil the priest brings the cross out into the center of the church, where it is venerated by the clergy and faithful. For the musical setting by Rachmaninoff, see All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox It remains in the center of the church through Friday of the week following (the Fourth Week of Great Lent). ^[3]

Fourth Week

This week is celebrated as a sort of afterfeast of the Veneration of the Cross, during which some of the hymns from the previous Sunday are repeated each day. An Afterfeast is a period of celebration attached to one of the Great Feasts celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches (roughly equivalent to On Monday and Wednesday of the Fourth Week, a Veneration of the Cross takes place at the First Hour (repeating a portion of the service from the All-Night Vigil of the previous Sunday). Prime, or the First Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the traditional Divine Office (Canonical Hours said at the first hour of daylight (approximately 600 a On Friday of that week, the veneration takes place after the Ninth Hour, after which the cross is solemnly returned to the sanctuary by the priest and deacon. None, or the Ninth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies

The Sunday which ends the fourth week is dedicated to St. John Climacus, whose work, The Ladder of Divine Ascent has been read throughout the Great Lenten Fast. Saint John Climacus ( c 525 – March 30 606) also known as John of the Ladder, John Scholasticus and John Sinaites, was a

Fifth Week

On Thursday of the Fifth Week, the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is chanted. For the martyr of 766 of the same name see Andrew of Crete (martyr. This is the longest Canon of the church year, and during the course of its nine Odes, most every person mentioned in the Bible is called to mind and tied to the theme of repentance. Ode (from the Ancient Greek) is a form of stately and elaborate lyrical verse. In anticipation of the Canon, Vespers on Wednesday afternoon is longer than normal, with special stichera added in honor of the Great Canon. A sticheron (plural stichera) is a particular kind of Hymn used in the Divine Liturgy, Acolouthia ( Daily office) or other services The Great Canon itself is recited during Matins for Thursday, which is usually celebrated by anticipation on Wednesday evening, so that more people can attend. Matins (also known as Orthros or Oútrenya in Eastern Churches) is the early morning or night Prayer service in the Roman Catholic As a part of the Matins of the Great Canon, the Life of St. Mary of Egypt by St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (634 - 638) is read, for her example of repentance and overcoming temptation. For the Bulgarian enlightener see Sophronius of Vratsa. Sophronius (born 560 in Damascus - died March 11, 638 On this day also is chanted the famous kontakion, "My soul, my soul, why sleepest thou. Kontakion (κοντάκιον is a form of Hymn performed in the Eastern Orthodox Church. . . " by St. Romanos the Melodist. "Romanos" redirects here See Romanus for the Latin form of the same name or Romanos Spain for the municipality in Spain The next day (Thursday morning) a special Presanctified Liturgy is celebrated, and the fast is relaxed slightly (wine and oil are allowed) as consolation after the long service the night before.

Saturday of the Fifth Week is dedicated to the Theotokos (Mother of God), and is known as the "Saturday of the Akathist" because the Akathist to the Theotokos is chanted during Matins on that day (again, usually anticipated on Friday evening). Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, The Akathist Hymn (Ἀκάθιστος Ύμνος unseated hymn) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian Hymn dedicated to a Saint, holy

The Fifth Sunday is dedicated to St. Mary of Egypt, whose Life was read earlier in the week during the Great Canon. Mary of Egypt (ca 344 – ca 421 is revered as the Patron saint of penitents most particularly in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and At the end of the Divine Liturgy many churches celebrate a "Blessing of Dried Fruit", in commemoration of St. Dried fruit is fruit that has been dried, either naturally or through use of a machine such as a Food dehydrator. Mary's profound asceticism.

Sixth Week

During the Sixth Week the Lenten services are served as they were during the second and third weeks.

Great Lent ends at Vespers on the evening of the Sixth Friday, and the Lenten cycle of Old Testament readings is brought to an end (Genesis ends with the account of the burial of Joseph, who is a type of Christ). At that same service, the celebration of Lazarus Saturday begins. Lazarus Saturday, in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, is the day before Palm Sunday The resurrection of Lazarus is understood as a foreshaddowing of the Resurrection of Jesus, and many of the Resurrection hymns normally chanted on Sunday (and which will be replaced the next day with hymns for Palm Sunday) are chanted at Matins on the morning of Lazarus Saturday. This article concerns itself with Jesus Christ Christian, Islamic and other religious interpretations of resurrection in general Lazarus ( Hebrew: אלעזר Elʿāzār Eleazar "God (has helped" is the name of two separate men mentioned in the New Testament. Within the body of Christian beliefs the resurrection of Jesus is a core event on which much of Christian doctrine and theology depend

Palm Sunday differs from the previous Sundays in that it is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church. Palm Sunday is a Christian Moveable feast which always falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. None of the normal Lenten material is chanted on Palm Sunday, and fish is permitted in the trapeza. Trapeza redirects here for the prehistoric Greek settlement see Trapeza Crete. The blessing of palms (or pussywillow) takes place at Matins on Sunday morning, and everyone stands holding palms and lit candles during the important moments of the service. This is especially significant at the Great Entrance during the Divine Liturgy on Palm Sunday morning, since liturgically that entrance recreates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. In Eastern Orthodoxy, an entrance is a Procession during which the Clergy enter into the Sanctuary through the Holy Doors. The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. The themes of Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday are tied together, and some of the same hymns (including one of the apolytikia) are chanted on both days. The Holy Week services begin on the night of Palm Sunday, and the liturgical colours are changed from the festive hues of Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday back to somber Lenten colours. Liturgical colours are those specific colours which are used for Vestments and hangings within the context of Christian Liturgy.

Holy Week

Main article: Holy Week

Although technically, Holy Week is separate from Great Lent, its services mirror those of Great Lent and are contained in the same book, the Lenten Triodion. Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter. Whereas, during Great Lent each week has its own theme, during Holy Week each day has its own theme, again based upon the Gospel readings for the day:

• Holy and Great Monday—Joseph the all-comely as a type of Christ, and the account of The Fig Tree (Matthew 21:18-22)
• Holy and Great Tuesday—the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)
• Holy and Great Wednesday—The anointing of Jesus at Bethany (Matthew 26:6-16)
• Holy and Great Thursday—The Mystical Supper
• Holy and Great Friday—The Passion
• Holy and Great Saturday—The Burial of Jesus and the Harrowing of Hell

During Holy Week, the order of services is often reversed: Matins being celebrated by anticipation the evening before, and Vespers in the morning. Holy Monday or Great and Holy Monday is the Monday of Holy Week, which precedes the commemoration of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Joseph or Yosef (יוֹסֵ Standard Yosef Tiberian Yôsēp̄, يوسف Yusuf; "He For the plant genus see Ficus. The Fig Tree and its fruit the Fig is mentioned several times in the New Testament, and Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter. The Parable of the Ten Virgins, or the Wise and Foolish Virgins, is a parable told by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew In Christianity, Holy Wednesday (also called Spy Wednesday, and in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches Holy and Great Wednesday Bethany most commonly refers to the village of Bethany (Jerusalem. In the Christian Liturgical calendar, Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday) is the feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter In the Christian Gospels the Last Supper (also called the Lord's Supper or Mystical Supper) was the last meal Jesus shared with his Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" This article describes the Christian Passion For other meanings see Passion. Holy Saturday ( Latin: Sabbatum Sanctum) is the day after Good Friday. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Sanctum Sepulchrum also called the Church of the Resurrection, ( Greek: Ναός της Αναστάσεως Naos tis Anastaseos The Harrowing of Hell is a doctrine in Christian theology referenced in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult, which states that This "reversal" is not something mandated by the typicon but has developed out of practical necessity. The Typikon, or Typicon ( Greek:, (typikon lit "following the order" Slavonic: ѹставъ, (ustav is a Liturgical Since some of the most important readings and liturgical actions take place at Matins, it is celebrated in the evening (rather than early in the morning before dawn, as is usual for Matins) so that more people can attend. Since during Holy Week Vespers is usually joined to either the Presanctified Liturgy or the Divine Liturgy, and since the faithful must observe a total fast from all food and drink before receiving Holy Communion, it is celebrated in the morning (Vespers on Good Friday is an exception to this, usually being celebrated in the afternoon). The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those

The Matins services for Holy Monday through Thursday are referred to as "Bridegroom Prayer" because the troparion of the day and the exapostilarion (the hymn that concludes the Canon) develop the theme of "Christ the Bridegroom" (Maundy Thursday has its own troparion, but uses the same exapostilarion). A troparion ( Greek: τροπάριον plural troparia, τροπάρια Church Slavonic: тропа́рь tropar) in Byzantine The Exapostilarion ( Greek: ἐξαποστειλάριον pl A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services The icon often displayed on these days depicts Jesus as the Man of Sorrows, and is referred to as the Bridegroom because the crown of thorns and the robe of mockery are parallel to the crown and robe worn by a bridegroom on his wedding day (Maundy Thursday has its own icon showing either the Mystical Supper or the Washing of Feet, or both). An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. You may be looking for Man of Sorrows (song or Man of Sorrows (painting Among the passages in the Hebrew Bible that have been identified In Christianity the Crown of Thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was the woven chaplet of thorn branches worn by Jesus before his Crucifixion A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. A robe is distinguished from a Cape or Cloak by the fact that it usually has Sleeves The English In the Christian Gospels the Last Supper (also called the Lord's Supper or Mystical Supper) was the last meal Jesus shared with his Foot washing or washing of feet is a religious Rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. The Passion of Christ is seen as the wedding of the Saviour with his bride, the Church. A wedding is the Ceremony in which two people are united in Marriage.

Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

The first three days of Holy Week (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday), the services all follow the same pattern and are nearly identical to the order followed on weekdays during the Great Forty Days; however, the number of Kathismata (sections from the Psalter) is reduced and the Old Testament readings are taken from different books. A Kathisma (Greek καθισμα Slavonic каѳисма kafisma) literally "seat" is a division of the Psalter, used by Eastern Orthodox The Presanctified Liturgy is celebrated on each of the first three days, and there is a Gospel reading at each one (during the Forty Days there was no Gospel reading unless it was a feast day). There is also a Gospel reading at Matins on each day and the Canon chanted at Matins is much shorter, consisting of only three or four odes rather than the usual nine. Matins (also known as Orthros or Oútrenya in Eastern Churches) is the early morning or night Prayer service in the Roman Catholic A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services

In addition to the Gospel readings at Matins and Vespers, there is a reading of all four Gospels which takes place during the Little Hours (Third Hour, Sixth Hour and Ninth Hour) on these first three days. ~The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Divine Office of Chrisitians both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church Terce, or Third Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the Christian liturgies Sext, or Sixth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies None, or the Ninth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies Each Gospel is read in its entirety and in order, beginning with Matthew 1:1, and continuing through John 13:30 (the rest of the Gospel of John will be read during the remainder of Holy Week). The Gospels are divided up into nine sections with one section being read by the priest at each of the Little Hours.

The Prayer of Saint Ephrem is said for the last time at the end of the Presanctified Liturgy on Holy and Great Wednesday. The Prayer of Righteous Ephrem ( Greek:, Euchē tou Hosiou Ephraim) is a prayer attributed to Saint Ephrem the Syrian used with emphasis during the From this moment on, there will be no more prostrations made in the church (aside from those made before the epitaphios) until Vespers on the afternoon of Pentecost. The Epitaphios ( Greek: Επιτάφιος epitaphios, or Επιτάφιον epitaphion; Slavonic: Плащаница plashchanitsa Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the

In some churches, the Holy Mystery (Sacrament) of Unction is celebrated on Holy and Great Wednesday, in commemoration of the anointing of Jesus' feet in preparation for his burial (Matthew 26:6-13). The term sacred mysteries generally denotes the area of Supernatural phenomena associated with a Divinity or a religious ideology. To anoint is to pour or smear with perfumed oil milk water melted butter or other substances a process employed ritually by many religions and races To anoint is to pour or smear with perfumed oil milk water melted butter or other substances a process employed ritually by many religions and races

The remaining three days of Holy Week retain a smaller degree of Lenten character, but each has elements that are unique to it. Easter Triduum, Holy Triduum, or Paschal Triduum is a term used by some Christian churches particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the

Holy Thursday

Holy and Great Thursday is a more festive day than the others of Holy Week in that it celebrates the institution of the Eucharist. The hangings in the church and the vestments of the clergy are changed from dark Lenten hues to more festive colours (red, in the Russian tradition). An antependium (Latin "to hang before" pl antependia) more commonly known as a hanging, or when speaking specifically of the hanging Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religions especially the Latin Rite and other Roman Catholics Whereas the Divine Liturgy is forbidden on other Lenten weekdays, the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil (combined with Vespers) is celebrated on this day. The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. The Liturgy of Saint Basil or more formally the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, is a term for several Eastern Christian celebrations of the Divine Many of the standard hymns of the Liturgy are replaced with the Troparion of Great Thursday. A troparion ( Greek: τροπάριον plural troparia, τροπάρια Church Slavonic: тропа́рь tropar) in Byzantine In some churches, the Holy Table (altar) is covered with a simple white linen cloth, in commemoration of the Mystical Supper (Last Supper). An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place In the Christian Gospels the Last Supper (also called the Lord's Supper or Mystical Supper) was the last meal Jesus shared with his During this Divine Liturgy, the reserved Mysteries are renewed (a new Lamb being consecrated, and the old Body and Blood of Christ being consumed by the deacon after the Liturgy). In Christian practice during the Liturgy of the Eucharist the elements of Bread and Wine become the Body and Blood The Lamb ( Greek:άμνος amnos; Slavonic: Агнецъ agnets) is the square portion of bread cut from the Prosphora in the Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service usually religious Also, when the supply of Chrism runs low, it is at this Liturgy that the heads of the autocephalous churches will Sanctify new Chrism, the preparation of which would have been begun during the All-Night Vigil on Palm Sunday. Chrism (Greek word literally meaning "an anointing" also called "Myrrh" ( Myron) "Holy Oil" or "Consecrated Oil" is a Consecrated Autocephaly, in Hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches is the status of a hierarchical church whose For the musical setting by Rachmaninoff, see All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox

After the Liturgy, a meal is served. The rule of fasting is lessened somewhat, and the faithful are allowed to partake of wine in moderation during the meal and use oil in the cooking. Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all Food, Drink, or both for a period of time

That night, the hangings and vestments in the church are changed to black, and Matins for Great and Holy Friday is celebrated.

Good Friday

Holy and Great Friday is observed as a strict fast day, on which the faithful who are physically able to should not eat anything at all. A Fast Day is a day of religious Fasting observed at various periods by different religious groups Jewish Christian and other sometimes with the authority of government Some even fast from water, at least until after the Vespers service that evening.

The Matins service (usually celebrated Thursday night) is officially entitled, "The Office of the Holy and Redeeming Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ",^[4] and is commonly known as the "Matins of the Twelve Gospels", because interspersed throughout the service are twelve Gospel readings which recount the entire Passion of Christ from the Last Supper to the sealing of the tomb. This article describes the Christian Passion For other meanings see Passion. In the Christian Gospels the Last Supper (also called the Lord's Supper or Mystical Supper) was the last meal Jesus shared with his The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Sanctum Sepulchrum also called the Church of the Resurrection, ( Greek: Ναός της Αναστάσεως Naos tis Anastaseos Before the Sixth Gospel (Mark 15:16-32) which first mentions the Crucifixion, the priest carries a large cross into the center of the church, where it is set upright and all the faithful come forward to venerate it. Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from The cross has attached to it a large icon of the soma (the crucified body of Christ) At the beginning of each Gospel, the bell is rung according to the number of the Gospel (once for the first Gospel, two for the second, etc. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. ). As each Gospel is read the faithful stand holding lighted candles, which are extinguished at the end of each reading. However, after the twelfth Gospel, the faithful do not extinguish their candles but leave them lit and carry the flame to their homes as a blessing. There, they will often use the flame to light the lampada in their icon corner. An oil lamp is a simple vessel used to produce light continuously for a period of time from a fuel source The Icon Corner (εικονοστάσι is a small worship space prepared in the homes of Eastern Orthodox or Greek-Catholic Christians.

On the morning of Great Friday, the Royal Hours are served. The Royal Hours are a particularly solemn celebration of the Little Hours in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. This is a solemn service of the Little Hours and Typica to which antiphons, and scripture readings have been added. ~The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Divine Office of Chrisitians both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church The term Typica may be used among Orthodox Christians with two distinct meanings (a a description of the fact that within the Church there are a variety of liturgical practices This article is about the musical term See Antiphon (person the orator of ancient Greece Some of the fixed psalms which are standard to each of the Little Hours are replaced with psalms which are of particular significance to the Passion.

Vespers on Good Friday is usually celebrated in the afternoon, around the time of Jesus' death on the Cross. After the Little Entrance the Gospel reading is a concatenation of the four Evangelists' accounts of the Crucifixion and the Descent from the Cross. In Eastern Orthodoxy, an entrance is a Procession during which the Clergy enter into the Sanctuary through the Holy Doors. For concatenation of general lists see Append. In Computer programming, string concatenation is the operation of joining two character The Four Evangelists refers to the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following ancient titles Gospel according The Descent from the Cross ( Greek: Αποκαθελωσις Apokathelosis) or Deposition, is the scene as depicted in art from the Gospel account of At the point during the reading which mentions Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, two clergymen approach the large cross in the center of the church, remove the soma, wrap it in a piece of white linen, and carry it into the sanctuary. Joseph of Arimathea was according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion Nicodemus (Greek Νικόδημος was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who according to the Gospel of John, showed favour to Jesus Later, during the Troparion, the clergy carry the epitaphios (a cloth icon symbolizing the winding sheet in which Jesus was prepared for burial) into the center of the church, where it is venerated by all the faithful. A troparion ( Greek: τροπάριον plural troparia, τροπάρια Church Slavonic: тропа́рь tropar) in Byzantine The Epitaphios ( Greek: Επιτάφιος epitaphios, or Επιτάφιον epitaphion; Slavonic: Плащаница plashchanitsa Shroud usually refers to an item such as a cloth that covers or protects some other object

That night, the Matins of Lamentation is normally celebrated in the evening.

Holy Saturday

Holy and Great Saturday (known also as the Great Sabbath, because on it Jesus "rested" from his labours on the Cross) combines elements of deep sorrow and exultant joy. This, like Good Friday is also a day of strict fasting, though a meal may be served after the Divine Liturgy at which wine (but not oil) may be used.

The Matins of Lamentation (usually celebrated on Friday evening) resembles the Orthodox funeral service, in that its main component is the chanting of Psalm 118 (the longest Psalm in the Bible), each verse of which is interspersed with laudations (ainoi) of the dead Christ. A funeral is a Ceremony marking a person's Death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of Beliefs and practices used by a Culture to remember Psalm 119 ( Greek numbering Psalm 118) is the longest Psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. The service takes place with the clergy and people gathered around the epitaphios in the center of the church. Everyone stands holding lighted candles during the psalm. Next are chanted the Evlogitaria of the Resurrection, hymns which are normally chanted only on Sundays. This is the first liturgical mention of the impending Resurrection of Jesus. Within the body of Christian beliefs the resurrection of Jesus is a core event on which much of Christian doctrine and theology depend At the end of the Great Doxology the epitaphios is carried in procession around the outside of the church, and then is brought back in. The Great Doxology is an ancient hymn of praise to the Trinity which is chanted or read daily in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches A Crucession, or Cross Procession (Крестный ход Krestnyi khod) is a procession that takes place in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern As the clergy carrying the epitaphios enter back into the church, they raise the epitaphios at the door, so that all may pass under it as they enter in, symbolically entering into the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Gospel (Matthew 27:62-66) is not read at its normal place during Matins, but instead is read at the end of the service, in front of the epitaphios.

The next morning (Saturday), the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil is celebrated (combined with Vespers). The Liturgy of Saint Basil or more formally the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, is a term for several Eastern Christian celebrations of the Divine At the beginning of the service, the hangings and vestments are still black. The service is much longer than usual, and includes 15 Old Testament readings recounting the history of salvation, and showing types of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Many parts of the clergy which are normally chanted in front of the Holy Doors are instead done in front of the epitaphios. Just before the Gospel reading, the hangings and vestments are changed to white, and the entire atmosphere of the service is transformed from sorrow to joy. In the Greek practice, the priest will strew the entire church with fresh bay leaves, symbolizing Christ's victory over death. Bay leaf (plural bay leaves) Greek Daphni, Romanian Foi de Dafin; is the aromatic leaf of several Species of the Laurel family ( Lauraceae This service symbolizes the Descent of Christ into Hades and the Harrowing of Hell. See also Intermediate state Sheol|Hell in Christianity Hades is "the place or state of departed spirits" The Harrowing of Hell is a doctrine in Christian theology referenced in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult, which states that Thus, according to Orthodox theology, Jesus' salvific work on the Cross has been accomplished, and the righteous departed in the Bosom of Abraham have been released from their bondage; however, the Good News of the Resurrection has not yet been proclaimed to the living on earth (this will occur during the Paschal Vigil). See also Intermediate state The phrase " Bosom of Abraham " refers to the place of comfort in Sheol (Greek hades The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration For this reason, the faithful do not yet break their fast nor exchange the paschal kiss. The Paschal greeting is an Easter custom among Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians as well as among several

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the priest will bless wine and bread which are distributed to the faithful. This is different from the Sacred Mysteries (Holy Communion) which were received earlier in the service. The term sacred mysteries generally denotes the area of Supernatural phenomena associated with a Divinity or a religious ideology. This bread and wine are simply blessed, not consecrated. Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service usually religious They are a remnant of the ancient tradition of the church (still observed in some places) whereby the faithful did not leave the church after the service, but were each given a glass of wine, and some bread and dried fruit to give them strength for the vigil ahead. Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Bread is a Staple food prepared by Baking a Dough of Flour and Water. Dried fruit is fruit that has been dried, either naturally or through use of a machine such as a Food dehydrator. They would listen to the reading of the Acts of the Apostles, read in full, and await the beginning of the Paschal Vigil. The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration

The last liturgical service in the Lenten Triodion is the Midnight Office which forms the first part of the Paschal Vigil. The Midnight Office ( Greek: Μεσονύκτικον, Mesonýtikon; Slavonic: Полуношница, Polúnoshnitsa; During this service the Canon of Great Saturday is repeated, at the end of which the priest and deacon take the epitaphios into the sanctuary through the Holy Doors and lay it on the Holy Table (altar), where it will remain until the feast of the Ascension. A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place After the concluding prayers and a dismissal all of the lights and candles in the church are extinguished, and all wait in silence and darkness for the stroke of midnight, when the resurrection of Christ will be proclaimed.

References

See also

• Lent
• Maslenitsa
• Easter
• Coptic Lent
• Nativity Fast
• Apostles' Fast
• Dormition Fast

External links

• Resources for Great Lent
• Sundays of Great Lent
• The Great Lent & The Holy Paskha—Coptic articles and hymns at http://St-Takla.org
• Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha in the Greek Orthodox Church
• Great Lent: History, Significance, Meaning
• Great Lent and Holy Pascha
• A Homily on Fasting and Dispassion by St. Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Maslenitsa (Ма́сленица also known as Butter Week, Pancake week, or Cheesefare Week, is a Russian religious and folk holiday Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. The Copts the Christians of Egypt, who belong mostly to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, observe Fasting The Nativity Fast, is a period abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches, in preparation The Dormition of the Theotokos ( Greek: Koimesis) is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Theodore the Studite, to be read at the beginning of Great Lent

Theodore the Studite', also called St Theodore of Stoudios or St Theodore of Studium (759 - 826 was a Byzantine monk and abbot of

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