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The Akathist Hymn

Discover the Akathist Hymn, the most beloved Marian hymn of the Orthodox Church. Learn about its origins, structure, theological themes, and its central place in Byzantine Lenten worship.

The Akathist Hymn, the most beloved Marian hymn of the Orthodox Christian Church, is one of the supreme masterpieces of Byzantine liturgical poetry. The hymn, which is sung during the Great Lent in preparation for the celebration of the Annunciation, is a long, complex poem in honor of the Theotokos, the Mother of God. The Akathist combines biblical narrative, theological reflection, and devotional praise in a powerful and moving form, and it has been one of the most influential and most enduring works of the Byzantine liturgical tradition.

The Akathist Hymn is traditionally attributed to Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople, who is said to have composed the hymn in thanksgiving for the divine protection of the city during the Avar siege of 626. The hymn was originally a kontakion, a long hymn consisting of 24 strophes, and it was sung during the vigil of the Annunciation. The hymn has been one of the most popular and most frequently sung works of the Orthodox liturgical tradition for more than a thousand years, and it remains a central element of Orthodox worship in the Great Lent.

The Origins of the Hymn

The Avar Siege of 626

The traditional account of the origins of the Akathist Hymn associates it with the Avar siege of Constantinople in 626. The Avars, a confederation of nomadic peoples from the Eurasian steppes, allied with the Sassanid Persians, had laid siege to Constantinople in the summer of 626, while the Byzantine emperor Heraclius was away on a campaign in the Persian heartland. The defense of the city was organized by Patriarch Sergius, who reportedly organized processions with the icon of the Hodegetria around the walls of the city, and who reportedly composed the Akathist Hymn as a prayer of thanksgiving for the divine protection of the city.

The account of the origins of the hymn is traditional rather than historical, and there is no firm evidence that Patriarch Sergius was the actual author of the hymn. The hymn may have been composed in the seventh century, but it may also have been composed in a later period, perhaps in the eighth or ninth century. The attribution to Patriarch Sergius was, however, firmly established by the eighth century, and it has been repeated in the liturgical books ever since.

The historical context of the hymn is the long crisis of the seventh century, when the Byzantine Empire was under attack from the Avars, the Persians, and the Arabs. The hymn was composed in a period when the survival of the empire was in doubt, and the hymn’s praise of the Theotokos as the protector of Constantinople reflects the religious sentiment of the time. The hymn is, in this sense, a product of the crisis of the seventh century, and it reflects the religious and political situation of the empire at the time.

The Structure of the Hymn

The Prooemium and the Alphabet Strophes

The Akathist Hymn consists of 24 strophes, each of which is followed by a refrain. The first strophe is the prooemium, the introduction, which is sung in honor of the Theotokos. The prooemium is followed by 12 alphabet strophes, which begin with the successive letters of the Greek alphabet. The alphabet strophes are the most distinctive feature of the Akathist, and they are the basis of the hymn’s structure.

The 12 alphabet strophes are followed by 12 additional strophes, which are organized in a different way. These strophes are the “Hail” strophes, which begin with the word “Hail” (Chaire in Greek), and which develop the theological themes of the hymn in a more elaborate way. The “Hail” strophes are the most famous part of the Akathist, and they are the most frequently quoted in Orthodox devotion.

The hymn concludes with a final strophe, which is a prayer to the Theotokos, asking for her intercession. The final strophe is the “All-holy Theotokos” prayer, which is one of the most popular prayers in the Orthodox tradition.

The Refrains

Each strophe of the Akathist is followed by a refrain. The first refrain, sung after the prooemium, is “Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.” The other refrains, sung after each of the 24 strophes, are the “Alleluia” and the “Hail” refrains.

The “Hail” refrains, which are sung after the “Hail” strophes, are particularly important. Each “Hail” refrain is a short praise of the Theotokos, and the 12 “Hail” refrains develop the themes of the hymn in a cumulative way. The most famous of the “Hail” refrains is the refrain “Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded,” which is sung after the final “Hail” strophe, and which is one of the most beloved phrases in the Orthodox liturgical tradition.

The Theological Themes

The Incarnation

The central theological theme of the Akathist Hymn is the Incarnation, the Christian doctrine that the eternal Son of God became truly human in the person of Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary. The hymn develops the doctrine of the Incarnation in a systematic way, beginning with the Annunciation and continuing through the birth of Christ, the visit of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, and the presentation in the Temple. The hymn thus traces the life of Christ from his conception in the womb of the Virgin to his manifestation to the Magi, and it celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation as the central event of human history.

The Akathist is a profoundly Christological hymn, and it presents the Incarnation as the foundation of the Christian faith. The hymn emphasizes the reality of Christ’s humanity, born of the Virgin, and the reality of his divinity, the eternal Son of God. The hymn also emphasizes the role of the Virgin as the Mother of God, the Theotokos, the one who gave birth to the Incarnate Word. The hymn is, in this sense, a confession of faith, a visual articulation of the doctrines of the Incarnation and the Theotokos.

The Virgin Mary

The second central theme of the Akathist Hymn is the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. The hymn presents the Virgin as the supreme example of the Christian life, the one who heard the word of God and kept it, the one who said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” and accepted the will of God. The hymn also presents the Virgin as the intercessor for the faithful, the one who prays for the salvation of the Christian people.

The Akathist presents the Virgin under a variety of images, drawing on both the Old and New Testaments. The Virgin is presented as the burning bush of Moses, the ladder of Jacob, the ark of the covenant, the fleece of Gideon, the sealed gate of Ezekiel, and many other Old Testament types. The images are drawn together into a rich and complex meditation on the role of the Virgin in the history of salvation.

The hymn also emphasizes the perpetual virginity of Mary, the doctrine that Mary remained a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ. The hymn is particularly insistent on this point, and it presents the Virgin as the “Bride Unwedded,” the “Unwedded Mother,” the one who gave birth without the intervention of a man. The doctrine of the perpetual virginity is one of the distinctive features of the Orthodox Christian tradition, and it is emphasized in the Akathist in a particularly powerful way.

The Liturgical Use

The Place in the Liturgical Year

The Akathist Hymn is sung during the Great Lent, the most important fasting period of the Orthodox liturgical year. The hymn is sung on the first four Fridays of the Great Lent, with the final portion being sung on the fifth Friday, the vigil of the Annunciation. The hymn is also sung on other occasions, especially on the feast of the Annunciation, on the feast of the Protection of the Theotokos, and on the feast of the Icon of the Theotokos of Vladimir.

The hymn is sung in the evening, typically as part of the vigil service, the great liturgical service of the Orthodox church. The hymn is sung in front of an icon of the Theotokos, often the Hodegetria, and the icon is venerated by the faithful during the singing. The hymn is one of the most solemn and most important services of the Orthodox liturgical year, and it is attended by large numbers of the faithful.

The Musical Settings

The Akathist Hymn has been set to music by a number of composers in the Orthodox tradition. The most important musical setting is the Byzantine chant, which is the traditional setting of the hymn in the Orthodox churches. The Byzantine chant of the Akathist is a complex and elaborate setting, with each strophe sung in a different mode, and the refrains sung in a more elaborate style. The Byzantine chant of the Akathist is one of the supreme achievements of Orthodox liturgical music, and it has been the model for many later settings of the hymn.

The Akathist Hymn has also been set to music by composers in the Russian and Greek traditions, including figures like Bortniansky, Kastalsky, and the Greek composers of the Byzantine tradition. The most famous modern setting is the setting by Sergei Rachmaninoff, who composed a choral setting of the hymn in the Russian tradition. The Rachmaninoff setting is a major work of the Russian choral tradition, and it has been performed in concert halls around the world.

The Influence of the Hymn

On Byzantine Devotion

The Akathist Hymn has had a profound influence on Byzantine devotion. The hymn has been one of the most popular and most frequently sung works of the Byzantine liturgical tradition, and it has been the source of much of the Byzantine devotion to the Theotokos. The hymn has also been the inspiration for countless icons, mosaics, and frescoes, which depict the scenes described in the hymn. The most famous of these icons is the icon of the Protection of the Theotokos, which depicts the Virgin sheltering the faithful with her veil, an image based on the famous vision of Andrew the Fool in the tenth century.

The Akathist Hymn has also been the inspiration for the development of the Marian feasts in the Byzantine liturgical calendar. The feast of the Annunciation, celebrated on 25 March, has been the principal Marian feast of the Byzantine church, and the Akathist has been the principal hymn of the feast. The feast of the Protection of the Theotokos, celebrated on 1 October, is also closely tied to the Akathist, and it is one of the most important feasts of the Byzantine liturgical year.

On the Orthodox World

The Akathist Hymn has had a profound influence on the Orthodox world beyond Byzantium. The hymn was translated into the Slavic languages in the ninth and tenth centuries, and it has been one of the most popular and most frequently sung works of the Slavic Orthodox tradition. The Russian Orthodox Church has especially venerated the Akathist, and the Russian translations and settings of the hymn are among the most important works of Russian Orthodox literature.

The Akathist Hymn has also been the inspiration for the development of Marian devotion in the Orthodox churches of Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania. The hymn is sung in these churches during the Great Lent, and it has been one of the most popular and most influential works of the Orthodox liturgical tradition. The hymn is, in this sense, a major element of the Orthodox Christian heritage, and it has been a powerful expression of the Orthodox devotion to the Theotokos.

Conclusion

The Akathist Hymn is one of the supreme masterpieces of Byzantine liturgical poetry, and it has been one of the most beloved and most influential works of the Orthodox Christian tradition. The hymn, which is traditionally attributed to Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople, is a long, complex poem in honor of the Theotokos, the Mother of God. The hymn develops the doctrines of the Incarnation and the Theotokos in a powerful and moving way, and it has been the inspiration for countless icons, mosaics, and frescoes. The hymn is sung during the Great Lent in the Orthodox churches, and it has been one of the most important and most popular services of the Orthodox liturgical year. To study the Akathist Hymn is to study one of the most important and most enduring elements of the Byzantine Christian inheritance, and to understand a work of art that has been a source of inspiration and comfort for Orthodox Christians for more than a thousand years.

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