By Dr Eleni Rossidou Koutsou, Philologist-Byzantinist
An Akathist hymn came to be called a “Kontakion” hymn of the Orthodox Church, in honor of the Theotokos, when the faithful were standing up during its chanting.
The faithful chanted the Akathist hymn upright, under the conditions it was considered to be sung at the first time, while the congregation was standing upright during the celebration of the Annunciation, to which the anthem was attached.
It is considered a masterpiece of Byzantine hymnography, its language is serious and poetic and is enriched by adjectives and many figures of speech (contrasts, metaphors, etc.). Its theme is the exaltation of God’s incarnation through the Virgin, which is done with many expressions of joy and rejoicing, that give it a triumphant tone.
In the year 626 AD, and while Emperor Heraclius and the Byzantine army had campaigned against the Persians, Constantinople was suddenly besieged by the Avars. The Avars rejected any ceasefire proposal and on August 6 they seized the Great church of the Theotokos at Blachernae. In cooperation with the Persians, they were preparing for the final attack, while Patriarch Sergius run around the walls of Constantinople with the icon of Panagia Blachernitissa and encouraged the people to resist. That night, a terrible hurricane, ascribed to divine intervention, created a seastorm and destroyed the enemy fleet, while the defenders inflicted huge losses on the Avars and Persians, who were forced to flee.
On August 8, the city was saved by the greatest threat in its history. The people, desiring to celebrate their salvation, which they attributed to the assistance of the Theotokos, gathered in the church of the Theotokos at Blachernae. Then, according to tradition, the upright crowd chanted what has been called since then the “Akathist Hymn,” a thanksgiving ode to the Champion General of the Byzantine state, Panagia, for inscribing the “prize of victory” and their gratitude “to the Champion General.”
Tradition attributes the Akathist Hymn to the great 6th century Byzantine hymnologist Romanos the Melodist.
Source: Church of Cyprus
