Eastern Christian hymns

Liturgical Christian hymn

thumbnail|The Akathist Hymn in Church Slavonic language. Oikos One.

thumb|Trinity (Andrei Rublev)|Old Testament Trinity [[icon by Andrei Rublev, (Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)]] The Trisagion (; 'Thrice Holy'), sometimes called by its incipit Agios O Theos, is a standard hymn of ancient origin of the Divine Liturgy in most of the Eastern Orthodox, Western Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic churches.

A kontakion (Greek , kondákion, plural κοντάκια, kondákia) is a form of hymn in the Byzantine liturgical tradition. The kontakion form originated in Syriac hymnography and gained prominence in Byzantium during the 6th century, particularly through the work of St. Romanos the Melodist of Emesa. Kontakia have a number of strophes (oikoi or ikoi, stanzas; singular oikos or ikos) and begin with a prologue (the prooimoion or koukoulion). A kontakion sometimes has a biblical theme and may feature a dialogue between biblical characters. The only kontakion that is used in full length today is the Ak

Eastern Orthodox hymn to the Virgin Mary

thumb|200px|A hand-drawn Old Believer [[lubok featuring 'hook and banner notation'.]]

The Menaion (, , ; , ) is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, containing the propers for fixed dates of the calendar year, i.e. entities not dependent on the date of Easter.

thumb|Orthodox priest and deacons praying the Cherubic Hymn at the beginning of the Great Entrance

song

structured hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services

A kathisma (Greek: κάθισμα; Church Slavonic: каѳисма, kafisma), literally, "seat", is a division of the Psalter, used in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Catholic churches. The word may also describe a hymn sung at Matins, a seat used in monastic churches, or a type of monastic establishment.

medieval hymn

A sticheron (Greek: "set in verses"; plural: stichera; Greek: ) is a hymn of a particular genre sung during the daily evening (Hesperinos/Vespers) and morning (Orthros) offices, and some other services, of the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches.

The irmos (or heirmos from ) in the Byzantine liturgical tradition is the initial troparion of an ode of a canon. The meter and melody of an irmos is followed by the remaining troparia of the ode; when more than one canon is used (as is typical at matins), only the first canon's irmos is sung, but the irmoi of the subsequent canons must be known in order to determine an ode's melody and so, even in canons where it is known that the irmos is never sung, the irmos is nonetheless specified. Note that in the Russian tradition, often only the irmos is sung, the rest of the ode simply being read; in

The Exapostilarion (, pl. ἐξαποστειλάρια Exapostilaria; Russian Ексапостила́рий) is a hymn or group of hymns chanted in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches at the conclusion of the Canon near the end of Matins. The Exapostilarion is chanted after the Little Litany that follows the Ninth Ode of the Canon.

thumb|300px|Russian icon of [[Our Lady of Vladimir.]] A theotokion (; pl. ) is a hymn to Mary the Theotokos (), which is a troparion or sticheron read or chanted during the canonical hours and Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, as well as in the praises of the Oriental Orthodox churches.

festive religious procession

The Megalynarion (Greek , "magnification", "that which magnifies"; also called Velichaniye in Church Slavonic) is a special hymn used in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches that follow the Byzantine Rite. Depending on the local liturgical tradition, this hymn can be one of several.

The Polyeleos is a festive portion of the Matins or All-Night Vigil service as observed on higher-ranking feast days in the Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Lutheran, and Byzantine Rite Catholic Churches. The Polyeleos is considered to be the high point of the service, and contains the reading of the Matins Gospel. Because of its liturgical importance, settings for the Polyeleos have been composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff and others.

thumb|A Romanian Orthodox [[Horologion opened to the Katabasiae of the Nativity of the Lord.]]