The Akathist Hymn is one of the most beautiful works of the Church in honor of the Mother of God. This hymn belongs to the tradition of the Eastern Church. Most of the written tradition presents this hymn without naming a specific author. Its Latin version, edited around the year 800 by Bishop Christopher of Venice, suggests the author is St. Germanus of Constantinople, who died in 733. Tradition links the origin of the Akathist to the early 7th-century Avar campaign against Constantinople. The siege of the city was exceptionally fierce. Seeing the significant superiority of the enemy forces, the people realized their helplessness as never before and cried out for God’s help and the intercession of the Virgin Mary. In 626, the Avar assault, led by the commander Heraclius, was miraculously repelled. Legend says that to celebrate the victory, St. George Pisida, a deacon of Constantinople who served in the Church of the Mother of God in Blachernae, composed the Akathist Hymn, which celebrates the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary and the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. The hymn also extols the miraculous aid of the Virgin Mary to the besieged:
To Thee, the Champion Leader, we, Thy city, delivered from disasters, offer hymns of victory and thanksgiving, O Mother of God! (Kontakion 1)
Tradition recounts that the Akathist was first sung in the Church of the Mother of God in Blachernae, which housed an icon until the end of the 16th century depicting the Mother of God accompanying Emperor Heraclius into battle against the Avars. Another legend tells that Patriarch Sergius II, after the siege was repelled, ordered the Akathist to be sung in the city square as a thanksgiving to the Mother of God for the miracle.
Other traditions suggest these praises were composed by Patriarch Sergius II himself or by the famous composer of ecclesiastical hymns, St. Romanos the Melodist, who lived at the end of the 6th century. However, many researchers consider St. George Pisida to be the author, as the iambic meter, motifs, and vocabulary of the Akathist are characteristic of his other poetic works. Orthodox liturgical books often include the heading at the beginning: “The work of the Blessed George Pisida.”
Many critics argue that the Blessed George wrote only the introductory Kontakion (“To Thee, the Champion Leader…”), while the rest may be the work of one of the Chalkedonian Fathers. The composition would thus date between the second half of the 5th century and the first half of the 6th century. Since this venerable and mature work comes from the most ancient Tradition of the Church—from a period when the Church was not yet divided—it is acceptable and sung in all Churches and communities.
In the East, the Akathist became part of the liturgy in the 8th century, and in the 9th century, it was included in the solemn Matins of the Saturday of the fifth week of Lent in the Byzantine liturgy. That day is known as Akathist Saturday. This is associated with the approaching Feast of the Annunciation (a part of this hymn is still present in the liturgy for March 25th). This unsurpassed work of theology and Marian spirituality is sung during Lent not only because of the upcoming feast; in a broader sense, this hymn in honor of the Mother of God is sung during Lent because it leads from the mystery of Christmas to the mystery of Easter—from the Incarnation of the Word of God to the Pascha of His Death and Resurrection.
In the Eastern Churches, the Akathist liturgy includes other elements: litanies, the Trisagion (the “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal”), the Our Father, psalms, and antiphons.
The word “Akathist” itself is not the proper name of the hymn but rather an instruction added at the beginning. In Greek, A-kathistos means “not sitting”: out of great reverence for the Mother of God, the community must sing it while standing, just as they would when listening to the Gospel (in Greek, both the proclamation of the Good News and the Annunciation to the Mother of God are expressed by a single word—Evangelismos).
Some features of the hymn’s structure are linked to the imagery of the Heavenly Jerusalem depicted in the 21st chapter of the Revelation to St. John the Apostle. All of Mary’s beauty and perfection are sung as an image of the Church; she is the Bride without an earthly bridegroom, the Virgin—Bride of the Lamb.
The hymn consists of 12 Kontakia and 12 Ikoi—24 parts in total, or 12 songs, each consisting of a Kontakion and an Ikos. The Greek alphabet has 24 letters, so the hymn was created as an acrostic, where each part begins with a new letter of the alphabet. We can discern two groups of dimensions in the hymn. The first is history and faith, which join together yet are contrasted with one another. The second group consists of the Christological and Ecclesiological dimensions, which intertwine and complement each other, revealing the mystery of the Mother of God.
Thus, the 12 songs of the hymn are performed as follows: the Kontakion, containing a theological thought following the narrative and truths of faith, is complemented and expanded by the Ikos, using salutations to Mary and a litany-like structure. The Kontakia, which almost always begin with a Christological theme, conclude with a refrain dedicated to Christ: Alleluia. Each Ikos concludes with the same refrain: Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded. Thus, the hymn is both Christological and Mariological.
The first part of the Akathist (Songs 1–6) focuses on the mystery of Christmas, based on the narratives of the first two chapters of the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew regarding the Annunciation, the Incarnation, the Birth of Jesus, the Magi, and His infancy. The second part (from Song 7 to 13) presents and sings of what the Church has confessed about Mary, especially during the periods of Ephesus and Chalkedon—concerning Mary’s role in the history of salvation.
Prepared by Fr. Mindaugas Pūkštys, Fr. Laimonas J. Nedveckas From the book “Akathist to the Most Holy Mother of God of the Annunciation” Kaunas 2008