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"Romanos" redirects here. See Romanus for the Latin form of the same name, or Romanos, Spain for the municipality in Spain. Romanus ( Latin, Roman was a Roman Cognomen and can refer to Aquila Romanus, Latin grammarian Romanus (comes, a Romanos is a small Municipality in Campo de Daroca, in Aragón.
Saint Romanos
Icon of Romanus the Melodist (1649)
The Melodist
Born c. 490, Syria
Died c. Events By Place Europe April 1 — The majority of Odoacer 's army including his Magister militum Tufa surrenders Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية 556, Constantinople
Venerated in Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast October 1 (October 14 N.S.)
Attributes Young man vested as a deacon, standing on a raised platform in the middle of a church, holding a scroll with his Kontakion of the Nativity written on it. Events By Place Europe Cynric and Ceawlin of Wessex fight against the Britons at Beranburh Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world 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 Old Style (or OS) and New Style (or NS) are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year Christianity has used symbols from its very beginnings Each Saint has a story and a reason why he or she led an exemplary life Kontakion (κοντάκιον is a form of Hymn performed in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He is surrounded by the Patriarch, the Emperor, and members of the congregation. His icon is often a combined with that of the The Protection of the Mother of God, which falls on the same day.

Sometimes he is depicted as a deacon holding a censer in his right hand and a small model of a church in his left.

Patronage church singers
Saints Portal

Romanos (or Romanus), also known as Saint Romanos the Melodist or Roman the Hymnographer, was one of the greatest of Greek hymnographers, called "the Pindar of rhythmic poetry". The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities Pindar (ˈpɪndɚ (or Pindarus, Greek:) (probably born 522 BC in Cynoscephalae a village in Boeotia; died 443 BC in Argos) was an Ancient He flourished during the sixth century, which is considered to be the "Golden Age" of Byzantine hymnography. The term Golden age is best known from Greek mythology and legend but can also be found in other ancient cultures (see below

Contents

Life

The main source of information about the life of Romanos comes from the Menaion for October. The Menaion ( Greek: Μηναίον Slavonic: Минеѧ Minéya, "of the month" refers to the annual fixed cycle of services in Beyond this, his name is mentioned by only two other ancient sources. One in the eighth-century poet St. Germanos, and once in the Souda (s. The Suda or Souda ( also, Suidas) is a massive 10th century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean v. anaklomenon), where he is called "Romanos the melodist". From this scanty evidence we learn that he was born to a Jewish family in either Emesa (modern-day Homs) or Damascus in Syria. For military actions near the city see Battle of Homs. Homs ( حمص,, anciently called Emesa (ἡ Ἔμεσα or "La Chamelle" Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية He was baptized as a young boy (though whether or not his parents also converted is uncertain). Having moved to Berytus (Beirut), he was ordained a deacon in the Church of the Resurrection there. Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2 In general religious use ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is set apart as Clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions

He later moved to Constantinople during the reign of the emperor Anastasius—on the question whether Anastasius I (491-518) or Anastasius II (713-716) is meant, the renowed byzantinologist, Prof. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Flavius Anastasius (Φλάβιος Ἀναστάσιος or Anastasius I (Ἀναστάσιος Β΄ (c Anastasios II or Anastasius II (Ἀναστάσιος Β΄ (died 718 Byzantine emperor, from 713 to 715 Karl Krumbacher favours the earlier date. Karl Krumbacher ( September 23, 1856 - December 12, 1909) German scholar an expert on Byzantine culture [1] There he served as sacristan in the "Great Church" (Hagia Sophia), residing to the end of his life at the Monastery of Kyros, where he was buried along with his disciple St. A sacristan is an officer who is charged with the care of the Sacristy, the church, and their contents Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Αγία Σοφία " Holy Wisdom " Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia) is a former patriarchal Basilica, later Ananias.

If those scholars who believe that he lived during the reign of the earlier Anastasius are correct, then he may have continued writing during the reign of Emperor Justinian (527-65), who was himself a hymn-writer; this would make him a contemporary of two other famous Byzantine hymnographers, Anastasios and Kyriakos. Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or

Legend

According to legend, Romanus was not at first considered to be either a talented reader or singer. In some Christian churches the Reader is responsible for reading aloud excerpts of the Scripture at a Liturgy. He was, however, loved by the Patriarch of Constantinople because of his great humility. "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Once, around the year 518, while serving in the Church of the Panagia at Blachernae, during the All-Night Vigil for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, he was assigned to read the kathisma verses from the Psalter. For the area code see Area code 518. Events By Place Byzantine Empire July 9 — Justin becomes emperor Blachernae (Βλαχερναί was a suburb in the northwestern section of Constantinople. For the musical setting by Rachmaninoff, see All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox A Kathisma (Greek καθισμα Slavonic каѳисма kafisma) literally "seat" is a division of the Psalter, used by Eastern Orthodox A Psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms and which often contains other devotional material He read so poorly that another reader had to take his place. Some of the lesser clergy ridiculed Romanus for this, and being humilitated he sat down in one of the choir stalls. Overcome by weariness and sorrow, he soon fell asleep. As he slept, the Theotokos (Mother of God) appeared to him with a scroll in her hand. Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, She commanded him to eat the scroll, and as soon as he did so, he awoke. He immediately received a blessing from the Patriarch, mounted the ambo (pulpit), and chanted extemporaneously his famous Kontakion of the Nativity, "Today the Virgin gives birth to Him Who is above all being…. " The emperor, the patriarch, the clergy, and the entire congregation were amazed at both the profound theology of the hymn and Romanos' clear, sonorous voice as he sang. According to tradition, this was the very first kontakion ever sung. The Greek word "kontakion" (κοντάκιον) refers to the shaft on which a scroll is wound, hence the significance of the Theotokos' command for him to swallow a scroll, indicating that his compositions were by divine inspiration.

Works

Romanos wrote in an Atticized literary koine— i. Koine Greek (Κοινὴ Ἑλληνική, "common Greek" or, ciˈni ðiˈale̞kto̞s "the common dialect" is the popular form of Greek which emerged in e. , he had a popular, but elevated style— and abundant Semiticisms support the view that he was of Jewish origin. Arresting imagery, sharp metaphors and similes, bold comparisons, antitheses, coining of successful maxims, and vivid dramatization characterize his style.

He is said to have composed more than 1,000 hymns or kontakia celebrating various festivals of the ecclesiastical year, the lives of the saints and other sacred subjects, some 60 to 80 of which survive (though not all those attributed to him may be genuine). A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity

Today, usually only the first strophe of each kontakion is chanted during the divine services, the full hymn having been replaced by the canon. Strophe ( Greek στροφή, turn bend twist, see also Phrase) is a concept in versification which properly Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services A full kontakion was a poetic sermon composed of from 18 to 30 verses or ikoi, each with a refrain, and united by an acrostic. A sermon is an oration by a Prophet or member of the Clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, or religious topic This article is about ancient Greek households For the ecology journal see Oikos (journal. An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichon, from ákros, "top" and stíchos, "verse" is a Poem or other Writing When it was sung to an original melody, it was called an idiomelon. Originally, Saint Romanos' works were known simply as "psalms", "odes", or "poems". Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Ode (from the Ancient Greek) is a form of stately and elaborate lyrical verse. It was only in the ninth century that the term kontakion came into use.

Among his known works are kontakia on:

His Kontakion of the Nativity is still considered to be his masterpiece, and up until the twelfth century, it was sung every year at the imperial banquet on that feast by the joint choirs of Hagia Sophia and of the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom 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 Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment or Day of the Lord is the judgment by God of every human who ever lived 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. For other structures of this name including in the Moscow Kremlin, see Church of the Holy Apostles (disambiguation. Most of the poem takes the form of a dialogue between the Mother of God and the Magi, whose visit to the newborn Christ Child is celebrated in the Byzantine rite on 25th of December, rather than on the 6th of January, when Western Christians celebrate the visit (in the Orthodox Church, January 6, the Feast of the Theophany, celebrates the Baptism of Christ). The Magi (singular Magus, from Latin via Greek μάγος; Old English: Mage; from Persian maguš and Kurdish The Child Jesus, or Divine Infant, represents the infant Jesus until to the age of twelve Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of

Of his other Kontakia, one of the most well-known is the hymn, "My soul, my souls, why sleepest thou. . . " which is chanted as part of the service of the "Great Canon" of St. Andrew of Crete on the fifth Thursday of Great Lent. 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

Romanus is one of many persons who have been credited with composing the famous Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos which is chanted so often as a devotion by Orthodox Christians. The Akathist Hymn (Ἀκάθιστος Ύμνος unseated hymn) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian Hymn dedicated to a Saint, holy

Prof Krumbacher published in Munich several previously unpublished chants of Romanos and other hymnographers, from manuscripts discovered in the library of the Monastery of St John the Theologian in Patmos. Patmos ( Greek, Πάτμος; Italian: Patmo) is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. There exists in the library of Moscow a Greek manuscript which contains kontakia and oikoi for the whole year, but does not include all compositions of Romanos. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of A manuscript is any Document that is Written by hand as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way

Professor Krumbacher says of his work, "In poetic talent, fire of inspiration, depth of feeling, and elevation of language, he far surpasses all the other melodes. The literary history of the future will perhaps acclaim Romanos for the greatest ecclesiastical poet of all ages. "

Iconographic depiction

For further information, see the Attributes section of the infobox at the top of this page.

Although in more recent icons Saint Romanos is depicted standing on the ambo (directly in front of the iconostasis) and wearing a deacon's sticharion, the famous Russian church musicologist, Johann von Gardner, points out that in the oldest icons he is portrayed wearing the shorter red tunic of a singer and standing on a raised platform in the middle of the church. In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis (the plural is iconostases) also called the Templon, is a wall of Icons and religious paintings The sticharion (also stikharion or stichar; Greek στιχάριον Slavonic стихарь is a liturgical Vestment of the Eastern Musicology ( Greek: μουσική = "music" and λόγος = "word" or "reason" is the scholarly study of Music Johann von Gardner, was an Eminent Slavic Musicologist, best known in the English language for his published work on Russian church singing A tunic is any of several types of Clothing for the body with or without Sleeves and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles This article is on the bagpipe part for the musical office see Cantor.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, Saint Romanos is the patron saint of church singers. See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members

Published translations

References

  1. ^ Krumbacher, Gesch. Karl Krumbacher ( September 23, 1856 - December 12, 1909) German scholar an expert on Byzantine culture d. byz. Literatur, (Munich, 1897), pp. 312-18.

Bibliography

See also

External links

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (Ру́сская Правосла́вная Це́рковь Заграни́цей ru Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov' Zagranitsey The Akathist Hymn (Ἀκάθιστος Ύμνος unseated hymn) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian Hymn dedicated to a Saint, holy The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

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