St. Romanos melodos: the life, the icon of the akathist

Everyone who had the opportunity to attend Orthodox divine services, drew attention to the extraordinary beauty of Church singing. His sounds are accompanied by virtually all of the services performed during the year. Special splendor they delight the congregation during the holidays, directing all their thoughts to the highest of the world. One of those who has dedicated his life to creating these wonderful hymns was St. Roman sweet-singer, whose memory is celebrated on 14 October, the feast of the Holy virgin.

Childhood and youthful years of the future Saint

The Holy Roman — a Greek by origin, was born in 490 in the small Syrian city of Emesa. From an early age he felt his calling in service to God and led a pious life away from worldly temptations. Barely adolescent years, Roman got a job as a Sexton in one of the churches of Berit — so called in those years, the current Beru, and when the Byzantine throne the pious Emperor Anastasius I, he moved to Constantinople and began to serve in the Church of the blessed virgin.

And here, in the capital of the Orthodox Byzantine Empire, is known for his exceptional piety, the future Holy Roman sweet-singer. The life it draws us a picture of the permanent spiritual deed, perpetrated by a young man. All his days were filled with fasting, prayer and thoughts of God. Such a zeal to serve the Lord did not go unnoticed, and soon St. Romanos melodos was adopted by the Sexton in the Church of Hagia Sophia — the world center of Orthodoxy of those years.

The Machinations of envy

Not trained since childhood to read and write, and devoid of the ability to read spiritual literature, the novel nevertheless surpassed their pious deeds of many scribes. For this he earned the love of the Patriarch efimia — a man of high moral qualities, who became his mentor and patron. However, such an arrangement of the Primate of the Church aroused the envy of many of the clergy, who saw in the young Sexton Patriarch's favorite.

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It is Known that envy often makes people do despicable things. This equally applies to the laity and clergy. So many of the clergy of Constantinople protested against the Patriarch and tried to build the Novel all sorts of machinations to humiliate him in the eyes of the head of the Church. Once they succeeded.

Embarrassment during the festival

Once, on the feast of the Nativity, in the Church personally present the Emperor and his entourage. The service was conducted very solemnly, and everything was done proper upkeep. St. Romanos melodos, and followed him a modest post, was busy, that was placed in the temple lamps. Crafty the clergy forced him to go to the pulpit and sing him a song of praise to God, that wasn't part of his duties.

They did it of deceit: a novel, not having at that time no hearing, no voice necessary for singing was inevitable disgrace. And so it happened. Becoming a national laughingstock and having undergone the humiliation, the young man fell before the image of the blessed virgin Mary, prayed and cried with resentment and despair. After returning home and even without partaking of food, the novel fell asleep, and in a thin dream appeared to him very Queen of Heaven, and offered him a small scroll, told him to open the mouth. When he did, the blessed virgin gave them the scroll and commanded to eat it.

A Great gift of the virgin Mary

Swallowing a Charter, the future Saint awoke, but mother of God has already left him. Still not quite realizing what had happened, Roman suddenly felt understanding of the Teachings of God. This happened because the blessed virgin had opened his mind to the knowledge of wisdom contained in sacred Scripture, as once Christ did to his disciples. More recently, tormented by hurt and humiliation, now he is in tears thanking the Queen of Heaven for the knowledge that she bestowed on him in the blink of an eye.

Waiting for the hour when, during the vigil should chant the festive hymn, St. Romanos melodos already willingly rose to the pulpit and sang composed by him kontakion in such a wondrous voice that everyone in the temple froze in astonishment, and when recovered, he came to the indescribable delight. It was the kontakion, executable to this day in the Orthodox churches in honor of the Great feast of the Nativity.

The Shame of the envious and the mercy of the Patriarch

This miracle marveled at and was present in the Church the Patriarch Anastasius I. To his question about where the Novel is known for it's wonderful songs and how he was able to suddenly gain the gift of his execution, the Sexton did not hide what happened to him, but loudly told him about the phenomenon of the Queen of Heaven and the grace, poured out upon him.

Everything without reserve told the Holy Roman sweet-singer. The life of the Saint tells us that, on hearing his words, all those who recently built his wiles were ashamed of their actions. They repented and begged his forgiveness. The Patriarch immediately elevated him to the diaconate, and since then, Roman the sweet-singer generously shared the wisdom given to him the book with all who came to the temple. That is Anastasius I called St. Roman sweet-singer. With this name he went down in history of the Christian Church.

Teaching and composing of the Holy

Surrounded by universal love deacon Roman began to teach singing everyone, selecting among them the gifted. Using a gift given him from above, he was engaged in serious work on the organization of the Church in Constantinople and is very successful in this field. Thanks to his efforts the Church singing has acquired a hitherto unseen splendor and harmony.

In Addition, St. Roman sweet-singer became famous as the author of many liturgical hymns. He owns more than a thousand hymns and prayers sung for many centuries. In our days neither Orthodox holiday is complete without a performance of his works. Of particular fame written an akathist to the Annunciation of the Mother of God. It is performed every year during Lent. Its peculiarity is that it is a model under which the hymns were written in later centuries.

Poetry monk Novel

In Addition to composing the Holy Roman sweet-singer entered the history thanks to yet another side of his work — poetic. The texts of all his works were written in Greek and known to us only in a Slavonic translation. Many researchers who have studied their originals and showing that they are written in a rare poetic size, known as the tonic, agree that the Holy Roman literature of the world owes the preservation and dissemination of this unique poetic form.

A Large amount and valuable content of a musical-poetic heritage of the Roman the sweet-singer is known to us largely through the works of the German historian-byzantinist Karl Krumbacher, published in the late nineteenth century a complete collection of his hymns. According to the statement of the scientist, the creation of the Novel on a poetic force, depth of the inherent feelings and spirituality in many ways superior to the works of other Greek authors.

The End of the life of Saint Roman

Gone from the earthly life of St. Romanos melodos in the year 556. Shortly before his blessed death he took monastic vows and became a monk located near the Constantinople monastery Awassa. There he spent his last days. The universal Church appreciated his godly life and the rich musical and poetic legacy that he left behind. The decision of one of the Cathedrals he was canonized. Was written an akathist to the Roman the sweet-singer and one of the first editions of his life.

The Temple at the Conservatory

A Kind of monument to the famous poet and composer is the Church of the Nativity of the blessed virgin at Saint-Petersburg state Conservatory. It is here with special warmth honor the memory of this Saint and the Day of Roman the sweet-singer: October 14 is celebrated as a professional holiday. This is not surprising, because the people gathered at the Conservatoire, he received from God the same gift of music that the author of the hymns that came to us from the VI century. For all students and teachers patron Saint is St. Romanos melodos. The icon, which presents his Holy image, is a special honor.

Throughout his life St. Roman the sweet-singer showed an example of how the eternal Creator will bestow their gifts in response to a pure and sincere love to him as lavishly pours out grace on those whose hearts are revealed to him and who is willing to forsake the vanity, stood in the way of serving.