Devotion in the churches of the country with the Hymn of Kassiani, images from St Spyridon in Pagrati

In an ambiance of heavy devotion and contemplation, the faithful flooded into churches crossed the state connected Good Tuesday night, arsenic the divine drama.

At the bosom of the evening was the evocative Troparion of Kassian, 1 of the starring examples of Byzantine poetry, which tells the communicative of repentance and redemption.

The Orange Press Agency was astatine the Church of St. Spyridon successful Pangrati successful the aboriginal evening.

On Eratosthenes Street, hundreds of worshippers stood successful soundlessness nether the candlelight to perceive the stirring phrase: “Lord, the pistillate successful galore sins…

The writer who “frightened” an Emperor

The communicative down the hymn is arsenic fascinating arsenic the substance itself. Cassiani, a pistillate of uncommon quality and intelligence, participated successful 830 AD successful the gathering organised by Euphrosyne to take a woman for the Emperor Theophilos.

As recounted by believers met by the Orange Press Agency:

“When Theophilus wanted to take a wife, they each lined up. She was the prettiest and the smartest. He saw her, admired her beauty, and said, “Out of pistillate began each evil”, meaning Eve. But Cassiani answered him astatine once: “But from pistillate besides proceed the champion things,” meaning the Virgin Mary. Theophilus did not privation a pistillate who surpassed him successful intelligence; helium feared her virginity and gave the pome to Theodora. So Cassiani became a nun and wrote astir that pistillate who sought forgiveness and washed the Lord’s feet.”

“It is simply a trigger for repentance and redemption of the soul”

Despite the communal content that the troparion refers to Mary Magdalene, it is thought that Cassian was inspired by the unnamed pistillate successful the Gospels who repented and asked for forgiveness. She who washed Jesus’ feet with myrrh and tears, seeking redemption.

Another believer who attended the work astatine St. Spyridon’s shared her ain perspective:

“It is simply a trigger for repentance. With our thoughts, we person each erred earlier God. Holy Week is simply a process of repentance, a ‘crucifixion’ not physical, but of our passions and our imperfections, until we scope the Resurrection. A Resurrection that heralds not lone the redemption of the soul, but besides the resurrection of the body.”

The troparion lyrically describes the interior conflict of the penitent woman, who likens her concern to a “night and a acheronian moon” (nux moi there, oestros acelasia, the gloomy and moonless eros of sin).

“Receive from maine the fountains of tears, thou who changest with the clouds the h2o of the sea… Despise not thy servant, thou who hast infinite mercy,” writes Kassian, concluding a hymn that for centuries has been the eventual awesome of quality humility.