The Saturday of the Akathist

The fifth week of Great Lent stands out among the other weeks due to two special services.

On Wednesday evening, the Matins for Thursday is celebrated with the reading of the Great Canon

“>Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete and the Venerable Mary of EgyptCovered by the cloak, the ascetic turned to Zosimas: “Why do you want to speak with me, a sinful woman? What did you wish to learn from me, you who have not shrunk from such great labors?””>life of St. Mary of Egypt—a service known as “The Standing of St. Mary of EgyptThe reading of the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is the main feature of this Matins service. This practice originated around the ninth century and its history is as follows.”>The Standing of Mary.” This is the final special penitential service of Great Lent.

On Friday, however, the Lenten mood lifts temporarily. The Church begins the celebration of the Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos (Saturday of the Akathist). Unlike the somber and introspective “Standing of Mary,” this is a festive and joyful feast.

Many of the hymns from the Saturday of the Akathist are also found in the service of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, as the two feasts are historically connected.

The Service of the Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos begins with Vespers, which, in practice, is celebrated on Friday morning. During the evening psalms “Lord, I have cried,” festal stichera from the Annunciation are added.

The very first sticheron of this set sets the tone and thematic direction for all the others that follow.

“Revealing to thee the pre-eternal counsel, Gabriel came and stood before thee, O Maid; and greeting thee, he said, ‘Rejoice, thou earth that has not been sown; rejoice, thou burning bush that remains unconsumed; rejoice, thou unsearchable depth; rejoice, thou bridge that leads to heaven, and ladder raised on high that Jacob saw; rejoice thou divine jar of manna; rejoice thou deliverance from the curse; rejoice, thou restoration of Adam, the Lord is with thee’.”¹

The remaining stichera are also taken from the service of the Annunciation.

On Friday evening, in practice (though according to the Typikon it is appointed for 10 p.m.), Matins is celebrated with Great Doxology. The distinguishing feature of this service is the reading of the Akathist to the Theotokos. This is the only day in the liturgical calendar when the Typikon prescribes the reading of an Akathist. More details on this will follow below.

Notably, the Akathist is not read in one continuous block, as we are used to, but is divided into four parts, which are interspersed throughout the Matins service.

The Matins begins as usual: with the two-psalm introduction, followed by the Six Psalms, then the Great Litany. After this, “God is the Lord” is sung with verses, and the Troparion of the Feast is chanted melodiously:

“Today is the crown of our salvation and the manifestation of the mystery that is from all eternity. The Son of God becomes Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel announces the good tidings of grace. Therefore let us also join him and cry aloud to the Theotokos: Rejoice thou who art full of grace: the Lord in with thee.”²

At this point in the service, the Royal Doors are opened, and the clergy come out from the altar into the center of the church, where the icon of the Praise of the Theotokos or another venerated image of Her is placed. The priest censes the church, after which the choir chants the first kontakion of the Akathist:

“To Thee, the Champion Leader, we Thy servants dedicate a feast of victory…”

Then the clergy read the first section of the Akathist—from the first ikos to the fourth kontakion. Afterward, the choir repeats the kontakion “To Thee, the Champion Leader,” and the clergy return to the altar.

Following this, a kathisma (portion of the Psalter) is read, and the second part of the Akathist is chanted—from the fourth ikos to the seventh kontakion. After each part, the clergy again return to the altar.

Next, Psalm 50 (Have mercy on me, O God) is read, and the Canon begins. This canon is also dedicated to the Theotokos, offering special praise for Her role in giving birth to the Divine Child.

The canon was composed by Saint Joseph the Hymnographer and features an acrostic—where the first letters of the troparia in the Greek original form a phrase:

“Rejoice, dwelling place of joy, to Thee alone it is fitting to rejoice. Joseph.”

The first and third odes of the canon are read, after which the third section of the Akathist is chanted—from the seventh ikos to the tenth kontakion. The canon then continues up to the sixth ode, after which the final portion of the Akathist is read—from the tenth ikos to the conclusion.

The Matins service then proceeds as usual: the festal praises (praise stichera) are sung, followed by the Great Doxology, and the remainder of the service according to tradition.

On Saturday morning, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated.

Now let us turn to the history and significance of the Akathist hymn itself.

The term “ἀκάθιστος ὕμνος” in Greek literally means a “hymn during which one does not sit.” According to the Church Typikon, there is only one official Akathist that is prescribed for liturgical use: the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, chanted during the Feast of Her Praise. The Typikon does not prescribe the use of any other Akathists within the Divine Services.

In form, the Akathist is similar to the ancient kontakion and consists of an introduction (called a prooimion, or “koukoulion”—meaning “hood,” as it ‘covers’ or introduces the following strophes) and 24 stanzas. The shorter strophes are called kontakia, the longer ones ikoi. In Greek tradition, all stanzas are often referred to simply as ikoi.

Each ikos contains a series of “Chairetismoi”—greetings or praises beginning with the word “Χαῖρε” (Rejoice).

The kontakia conclude with the refrain “Alleluia,” while the ikoi end with “Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!”

Later on, many other Akathists were composed in imitation of this original hymn—though not all of them reached the same level of theological depth or literary quality.

As for the authorship and date of composition, scholarly opinions vary. Most likely, the core of the Akathist was composed no later than the first half of the sixth century. Many researchers attribute the main body of the hymn to St. Romanos the Melodist, a great hymnographer of the early Church.

The chairetismoi (the series of “Rejoice” greetings) were likely added later, probably by Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople in the 620s, during the time of the siege of Constantinople.

The first kontakion of the Akathist—“To Thee, the Champion Leader”—was most likely not part of the original hymn, but an independent thanksgiving troparion composed in 626 AD to commemorate the deliverance of Constantinople from the Avars and Slavs.

In terms of theme, the Akathist is a poetic and theological meditation on the Incarnation—particularly the Annunciation and the Nativity of Christ—emphasizing throughout the central and salvific role of the Most Holy Theotokos in these sacred events.

Why, then, is the Akathist hymn chanted specifically on the Saturday of the fifth week of Great Lent?

Originally, judging by its content, the Akathist was sung on the Feast of the Synaxis of the Theotokos (January 8), and later, on the Feast of the Annunciation. For a long time, it was firmly associated with that feast.

However, in 628, close to the date of the Annunciation, peace negotiations were held between Emperor Heraclius and the Persians, marking a Byzantine victory. The chanting of the Akathist, in this context, took on a celebratory and thanksgiving character.

At the same time, there was already a tradition in Constantinople of holding all-night vigils from Friday to Saturday in honor of the Mother of God. Gradually, the Akathist hymn became established as part of this Lenten Saturday vigil, and so its regular place in the liturgical calendar became the Saturday of the fifth week of Great Lent.

Thus, the fifth week of Great Lent concludes with a joyful glorification of the Most Holy Theotokos in the form of the Akathist hymn.

On the Sunday of St. Mary of EgyptThis week of Great Lent, the Church celebrates the memory of St. Mary of Egypt. The story of St. Mary is the story of a repentant harlot. Why does the Church find this story so important? Why does the whole Orthodox world remember this woman?

“>Sunday of the fifth week, we return to the life and spiritual struggle of St. Mary of Egypt, commemorating her one more time. Additionally, some hymns of that day refer to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

Church hymnography draws a symbolic connection between the Lazarus of the parable and Lazarus, the friend of Christ, whose resurrection we will soon commemorate. As the sixth week of Great Lent begins, the Church begins the pre-feast of Lazarus Saturday and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.

Throughout the week, the hymns narrate, in chronological sequence, the story of Lazarus:

He falls ill,

He dies,

Christ sets out to raise him,

He is buried,

And finally, he is resurrected.

Thus, the Church calls us to begin the journey with Christ toward His Passion, preparing our hearts for Holy Week and the glory of the Resurrection.

The following sources (in Russian) were used:

1. “Akathist.” Orthodox Encyclopedia, vol. 1, pp. 371–381. Accessed at: https://www.pravenc.ru/text/акафист.html.

2. Debolsky, Archpriest G. S. The Liturgical Days of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church. St. Petersburg, 1846.

3. Mansvetov, I. D. On the Fasts of the Orthodox Eastern Church. Moscow, 1886.

4. Karabinov, I. The Lenten Triodion: A Historical Overview of Its Structure, Content, Redactions, and Slavic Translations. Chapter 3: Redactions and Slavic Translations of the Lenten Triodion. Moscow: Ikhthios, 2004.

5. Kashkin, A. Liturgics. Part 2: The Lenten and Festal Triodia. Saratov, 2017.