Order of Great Vespers,

which is the Vigil of All-Night, and the Resurrection Matins

After the sun has set a little, the candle lighter enters and makes a bow to the presiding priest. Then, ascending, he strikes the great bell slowly, saying the Beatitudes or reciting Psalm 103, softly in the eighth tone. After this, entering, he lights the lamps and prepares the censer. Then, going out again, he strikes all the bells. Returning to the church, he lights a candle in the lampstand and places it straight at the royal doors. Then he makes a bow to the priest whose turn it is to serve. The priest, rising, makes a bow to the presiding priest, and going, makes bows to God before the holy doors and to both choirs, to all the brethren sitting. Entering the holy altar, he puts on his epitrachelion, kisses its top cross, takes the censer, and standing before the holy table, puts incense in it, saying the prayer of the censer silently. Then he incenses the holy table in the form of a cross, the entire altar, and the Prothesis, and goes out by the north doors.

The candle lighter, taking the lampstand from the middle of the church, exclaims in a loud voice: "Arise!" holding the lampstand with the lit candle. When everyone has arisen, the priest comes out through the holy doors, incenses before the holy doors, raising and crossing, and proceeds to incense the icons on the right side, the icon of the Savior, the icons in the temple, and others on that side. Similarly, on the left side, the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and other icons. He then incenses the presiding priest and both choirs in their order, preceded by the candle lighter with the lamp. After the priest makes the sign of the cross with the censer, he makes a small bow, and the candle lighter bows with him. Then he goes out to the narthex and incenses the brethren there according to the order, and returning to the church, standing in the middle, makes the sign of the cross with the censer facing east and exclaims loudly: "Bless, O Lord." Immediately, he incenses the icon of Christ the Savior, and the icon of the Theotokos, and the presiding priest at his place. Entering the holy altar, he makes the sign of the cross with the censer before the holy table, three times. Then he exclaims: "Glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving, and undivided Trinity, now and ever, and unto ages of ages." The presiding priest, or the candle lighter, then begins: "Amen. Come, let us worship and bow down to God our King." Softly and quietly. Then a second time, a little louder: "Come, let us worship and bow down to Christ, our King and God." Then a third time, even louder: "Come, let us worship and bow down to Christ Himself, our King and God." Immediately the presiding priest, or the candle lighter, begins in a loud voice, in the tone of the week: "Bless the Lord, O my soul," softly and melodiously, with the brothers singing. The refrain: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord." The second singer from the right choir: "O Lord my God, Thou art greatly magnified." The refrain: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord," softly with a harmonious voice and the other brothers with him.

The priest with the candle lighter, coming out of the holy altar, makes three bows before the holy doors, then turning, makes a bow to the presiding priest, and to both choirs singly. They then go and stand in their places.

In cathedrals and parish churches, the priest performs this in the phelonion, and the deacon in the sticharion.

When they begin to sing: "In wisdom hast Thou made them all," and "Glory to Thee, O Lord, who hast made all things," the priest comes before the royal doors in his epitrachelion, with head uncovered, and says the lamp-lighting prayers. When the psalm is ended, he says the great litany: "In peace let us pray to the Lord." After the litany, he exclaims: "For unto Thee are due all glory." Then we chant the psalter in the fourth tone, the first kathisma: "Blessed is the man," the first antiphon; the second and third antiphons we sing in the tone of the day. After each antiphon, the small litany and exclamation. After the first antiphon: "For Thine is the kingdom"; after the second: "For Thou art good and the Lover of mankind." During the singing of the third antiphon, the deacon, making a bow to the presiding priest, enters the holy altar, and with him the assigned priest. Taking off his sticharion and orarion, he receives the blessing from the priest, kisses his right hand, and puts on the sticharion again, and says the last litany, and the exclamation from the priest: "For Thou art our God." After the usual psalmody, the canonarch makes a bow and exclaims in the tone of the Octoechos or the Menaion: "Lord, I have cried unto Thee." The priest stands at the usual place. When they begin to sing "Lord, I have cried," the priest or deacon incenses, as usual, making a bow to the presiding priest. We then set ten stichera: "Bring my soul out of prison," and we sing the resurrection stichera, three: "Anatolian," four: and the Menaion, three: "Glory to the Menaion if there is one." If not, "Glory, now and ever," the Theotokion of the current tone. When we say the verse: "For His mercy is confirmed upon us," both choirs sing together. Then the priest makes a bow to the presiding priest, enters the holy altar, puts on the phelonion, and as we say "Glory," he makes the entrance, opening the holy doors: precede two candle bearers with candles. The deacon holding the censer, and the priest simply, with his phelonion lowered. The priest stands directly before the holy doors, and the deacon a little to the right of the priest, holding his orarion with three fingers of his right hand, says silently, what only the priest can hear: "Let us pray to the Lord." The priest says the prayer silently: "Evening, morning, and at noon." After the prayer, bowing, the deacon says to the priest, showing to the east with the orarion, holding it with three fingers of his right hand: "Bless, Master, the holy entrance." And the priest blesses to the east, saying: "Blessed is the entrance of Thy saints, O Lord." Then the deacon goes and incenses the icon of the Savior, the one at the presiding priest's place, and the presiding priest himself. He then stands again in the place where he stood before, waiting for the end of the verse. When the verse is completed, the deacon enters the middle and, making the sign of the cross with the censer, exclaims: "Wisdom, stand upright." And we sing: "O Gladsome Light of the holy glory." The reader, taking the lamp, precedes even to the holy doors. The deacon, entering the holy altar, incenses the holy table. The priest, bowing before the holy doors, kisses and enters, and the holy doors are closed. After "O Gladsome Light," the deacon says: "Let us attend." The priest: "Peace be to all." Again, the deacon: "Wisdom, let us attend." The canonarch, having made a bow to the presiding priest, announces the prokeimenon and the verses. The chanters sing the prokeimenon of the day in the seventh tone: "The Lord is King; He is clothed with majesty." Verse: "The Lord is clothed with strength, and He has girded Himself." Verse: "For He has established the world, which shall not be moved." Verse: "Holiness befits Thy house, O Lord, for length of days." Again: "The Lord is King; He is clothed with majesty." The reader, with his hands crossed upon his breast, stands in the middle of the church, waiting for the end of the prokeimenon. Making a bow, he goes to his place. Then the deacon, coming out, says the litany: "Let us all say." And the exclamation from the priest. After the exclamation, the presiding priest or the appointed reader says: "Grant, O Lord, to keep us this evening." Again the deacon: "Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord." The exclamation from the priest: "For Thou art good and the Lover of mankind." Then: "Peace be to all." The deacon: "Bow your heads unto the Lord." And the priest prays silently. Then he exclaims: "Let the dominion of Thy kingdom." And so the priest and the deacon exit through the north doors, preceded by two candle bearers with lamps, the deacon with the censer, and we following. We sing the sticheron of the temple and exit to the narthex. There, the deacon incenses all around, and the presiding priest and choirs according to their order. He then stands at his place, and after the completion of the stichera, "Glory, now and ever," the Theotokion. Then the deacon exclaims for all to hear this prayer: "Save, O God, Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance, visit Thy world with mercy and compassion." To the end, the choir: "Lord, have mercy," forty times. The deacon: "Again we pray for the pious and orthodox Christians, the great lord and father, His Holiness, the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', and the very reverend metropolitan, our lord, and for the most reverend archbishops and bishops, the honorable priesthood, the diaconate in Christ, all the clergy, and all our brethren in Christ." The choir: "Lord, have mercy," thrice. The deacon: "Again we pray for this holy and all-honorable temple, and for those who with faith, reverence, and the fear of God enter therein, for the deliverance of captives, for our brethren in the ministry, and for all the sick." The choir: "Lord, have mercy," thrice. The priest exclaims: "Hear us, O God, our Savior." The choir: "Amen." Then he says: "Peace be to all." The deacon: "Bow your heads unto the Lord." And when all have bowed their heads, the priest prays in a loud voice: "O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who hast made all things by Thy wisdom and hath established all things by Thy Word." After the prayer is completed, we say: "Amen." Then we sing the resurrectional sticheron and enter the church, preceded by the candle lighter, singing the remaining resurrectional stichera, which are alphabetical. We sing these refrains: "The Lord is King; He is clothed with majesty." Verse: "For He has established the world, which shall not be moved." Verse: "Holiness befits Thy house, O Lord, for length of days." "Glory, now and ever," the Theotokion. And the candles are placed on both sides, decorating the four-legged table on which there is wheat and a drink offering of bread and wine, as we usually bring to the church. Two vessels are placed, filled, one with wine and one with oil. The wine is on the left, the oil on the right. Then the presiding priest says: "Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart." The reader: "Holy God," after the "Our Father," the exclamation: "For Thine is the kingdom." We sing the dismissing Theotokion in the seventh tone: "Rejoice, O Theotokos," thrice. Then the deacon, receiving the blessing from the priest, incenses around the table. The presiding priest only at his place, and the priest as well. And again the bread in front only. The presiding priest or the priest says the prayer aloud: "O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who didst bless the five loaves and didst satisfy the five thousand: bless these loaves, wheat, wine, and oil, and multiply them in this holy place and throughout Thy world, and sanctify the faithful who shall partake of them." And he raises one loaf, making the sign of the cross with it over the others. When he says: "Bless, O Lord," he points with his right hand to the bread, wheat, wine, and oil. After the prayer is finished, and after "Amen," we sing: "Blessed be the name of the Lord from henceforth and forevermore," thrice, in the seventh tone. Then Psalm 33: "I will bless the Lord at all times." We say it to the verse: "They shall not be deprived of any good thing." The priest, coming before the royal doors, facing west, says: "The blessing of the Lord be upon you." The reader: "Amen." Then he begins the reading. The priest: "Through the prayers of our holy fathers." Then the priest and deacon remove their sacred vestments and exit. And so, we all sit each in our places.

The cellarer, taking one of the blessed loaves, breaks it on the plate and distributes it to the brethren, and scoops a single cup of wine equally for all, from the presiding priest to the last, those who are in the monastery. [Now this rite has mostly ceased in churches.] And the reading is placed in the right-hand choir.

Note:

Be it known that from Pascha Sunday until All Saints Sunday, after the blessing of the loaves, the Acts of the Holy Apostles are read. In other Sundays of the year, the seven catholic epistles and fourteen epistles of Saint Paul, and the Revelation of Saint John the Theologian are read. When the cellarer distributes the loaves to the brethren and a single cup of wine, after labor for the vigil, as from the beginning came from these fathers, going, makes the usual bow, with those who served with him, two by two, before the holy doors, and to both choirs singly, and exits. In the evening, after the bread and wine, from that hour, no one dares to taste anything more because of the communion of the most pure mysteries of Christ. Thus, we break the loaves and drink the wine.

Note:

The breaking of loaves and drinking takes place from the first day of September until the 25th of March. However, in summer vigils, the blessed loaves are distributed at the table and before the eating of food.

Note:

Blessed loaves have various gifts: driving away fire with water, casting out fever, healing every sickness and every disease: driving away mice and other pests.

After the reading of the great acts of the holy apostles, the candle lighter exits and strikes the great bell and other bells. When the presiding priest and all the brethren rise, he begins: "Amen. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men," thrice. Then: "O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise," twice. He recites the six psalms softly and quietly. After three psalms: "Glory, now and ever," "Alleluia," thrice. "Lord, have mercy," thrice. "Glory, now and ever: O God of my salvation." The priest in his epitrachelion, sometimes in the phelonion, says the morning prayers before the holy doors, with head uncovered. After the completion of the six psalms, "Glory, now and ever," he says the great litany: "In peace let us pray to the Lord." After the exclamation, he stands in his place. The appointed canonarch, who announces the prokeimena at vespers, having made a bow to the presiding priest, exclaims: "God is the Lord," with his verses, in the current tone. We sing the resurrectional troparion, twice: "Glory, the saint of the day," "now and ever," the Theotokion of the current tone, if there is one. If not, "Glory, now and ever," the Theotokion of the current tone. The choir then says: "Lord, have mercy," thrice. "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit." The reader: "Now and ever," and reads the kathisma: "I will confess Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart." After the completion of each kathisma, the priest, coming before the holy doors, says the small litany, and the exclamation, as usual. We sing the resurrectional sessional hymns before the prokimenon. The refrain: "Arise, O Lord my God, lift up Thy hand, forget not Thy poor to the end." The seven sessional hymns: "Glory, now and ever," the Theotokion. Then the reading in the interpretive gospel. Then the kathisma and the seventh sessional hymn. The refrain: "I will confess Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, I will tell all Thy marvelous works." "Glory, now and ever," his Theotokion. Then the reading. We sing the Beatitudes, in the seventh tone, in which the priest incenses. Then the angelic hymn: "Peaceful tone and reading." Then the antiphons of the tone, in which the candle lighter goes out and strikes the bells. The priest and the deacon, entering the holy place, vest as usual. The priest says: "Let us attend, wisdom." The canonarch announces: "Prokeimenon, Psalm of David, tone." After the prokeimenon, the deacon: "Let us pray to the Lord." The priest: "For Thou art our God." The choir: "Amen." The canonarch: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Verse: "Praise God in His saints, praise Him in the firmament of His power." The deacon says: "That we may be counted worthy to hear the Holy Gospel, let us pray to the Lord God." The choir: "Lord, have mercy," thrice. The deacon: "Wisdom, stand upright, let us hear the Holy Gospel." The priest: "Peace be to all." The choir: "And to thy spirit." Then the priest names the evangelist, from whom the Gospel is read. The choir: "Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee." The deacon: "Let us attend." The priest reads the resurrectional gospel. After the reading, the choir: "Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee." Then we say: "The resurrection of Christ," and Psalm 119. While this is said, the priest exits the holy doors with the gospel, holding it to his breast, preceded on both sides by two candle bearers with lamps. With his phelonion lowered, he stands in the middle of the church, holding the gospel to his breast, with candle bearers on both sides. The presiding priest alone comes and makes two bows, then kisses the gospel and makes another bow. [Bows are not made to the ground but are moderate, inclining the head, until the hand reaches the ground. On Sundays and great feasts, and during the entire Pentecost, bows are not made.] After the presiding priest kisses the gospel, he also makes a bow to the left choir, and similarly to the right, going to his place. Then all the brethren come two by two in order, making two similar bows, kissing the gospel, and another bow, and a bow to the presiding priest. After the kissing, and the 17th psalm, we say: "Glory, through the prayers of the apostles: now and ever, through the prayers of the Theotokos." Then: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy." Then the resurrectional sticheron, tone seven: "Christ is risen from the dead." After the kissing of the gospel, [the priest anoints the brethren with oil,] and enters the holy altar. The deacon says at the usual place the prayer: "Save, O God, Thy people." We say: "Lord, have mercy," forty times. The priest exclaims: "By Thy mercy and compassions," and after "Amen," we begin the irmos of the resurrectional canon. We sing the resurrectional canon with the irmos in the eighth tone, the resurrectional canon in the sixth tone, the Theotokion in the sixth tone, and the Menaion in the eighth tone. At the first troparion, the refrain: "Glory to Thy holy resurrection, O Lord." Then the refrains of the resurrectional songs, [written in the irmologion.] After the completion of the sixth ode, the deacon says the small litany, and the exclamation from the priest within the altar: "For Thou art our God." Then the priest and deacon remove their sacred vestments and stand at the usual places. Then the kontakion, and the sessional hymn of the Menaion. Then the reading. After the seventh ode, the priest says the small litany before the holy doors, and the exclamation: "For Thou art the King of peace." Then the resurrectional kontakion and ikos. Then we read the prologue.

Note:

Be it known that after the completion of the sixth ode, when we are about to begin the seventh ode, we all make a bow simultaneously, saying: "We praise, we bless, we worship the Lord." Then the irmos of the sixth ode, the katavasia. The priest and deacon vest as usual. After the completion of the sixth ode, incensing the holy table, the deacon exclaims: "Theotokos and Mother of the Light, let us magnify in hymns." We chant the seventh ode, singing loudly: "My soul magnifies the Lord," and "More honorable than the cherubim." We also make moderate bows. The priest or deacon incenses the holy altar and the entire church and the brethren. After the seventh ode, returning and giving the censer, he says the small litany: and the exclamation from the priest: "For to Thee is due all glory." The deacon exclaims: "Holy God, holy mighty, holy immortal, have mercy on us." We sing the eighth ode, setting up the verses. "Praise the Lord all ye works," and the refrain: "Bless the Lord, ye works of the Lord." The priest, or deacon, standing at the usual place, incenses the holy altar, the whole church, and the brethren. After the eighth ode, he returns and gives the censer, saying the small litany: and the exclamation from the priest: "For to Thee is due all glory." The deacon exclaims: "Theotokos and Mother of the Light, let us magnify in hymns." We chant the ninth ode, singing loudly: "My soul magnifies the Lord," and "More honorable than the cherubim." We also make moderate bows. The priest or deacon incenses the holy altar and the entire church and the brethren. After the ninth ode, returning and giving the censer, he says the small litany: and the exclamation from the priest: "For to Thee is due all glory." The deacon exclaims: "Holy God, holy mighty, holy immortal, have mercy on us." We sing the exaposteilarion of the resurrection. "Glory, the saint of the day," if there is one. "Now and ever," the resurrectional Theotokion. At the praises: "Let every breath praise the Lord," in the tone of the day. We set up the verses, ten: and sing the resurrectional stichera, four: and the anatolian, four. At "Let every breath praise the Lord," both choirs assembled, we sing the refrains: "Arise, O Lord my God, let Thy hand be lifted up, forget not Thy poor to the end." Verse: "I will confess Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, I will tell all Thy marvelous works." "Glory, the resurrectional Theotokion, tone seven." "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes." "Glory, now and ever," the Theotokion of the tone. After the praises, we sing the great doxology. Then the resurrectional troparion, one of both, in tone one: "Today is salvation come to the world." Or in tone seven: "Christ is risen from the dead." Then the priest or deacon says the litany: "Have mercy on us, O God." The exclamation: "For Thou art good and the Lover of mankind." After: "Let us complete our morning prayer." The exclamation: "For Thou art the God of mercy and compassion." The priest: "Peace be to all." The choir: "And to thy spirit." The deacon: "Bow your heads unto the Lord." The priest prays silently. Then the exclamation: "For to Thee belongs to show mercy." Then: "Wisdom." The choir: "Bless." The priest: "Christ our God is blessed." The choir: "Amen." "Establish, O God." The priest: "Most holy Theotokos." The choir: "More honorable." The usual dismissal and the many years to the emperor. Then we proceed to the narthex, singing the sticheron of the tone, as usual, and the announcement of the typikon. After the reading, the troparion of the day, tone six: "Guide of Orthodoxy." The sixth hour. At the sixth hour, the resurrectional troparion. "Glory, the saint of the day," if there is one: if not, "Glory, now and ever," the Theotokion of the hours. After "Our Father": the resurrectional kontakion. The usual dismissal. At the liturgy: the beatitudes of the week in tone one. After the entrance, the resurrectional troparion: then of the temple, and the saint of the day, if there is one. The resurrectional kontakion, and of the temple: "Glory, the saint of the day," if there is one: if not, "Glory, now and ever," the Theotokion of the temple. If not, "Now and ever," the kontakion: "Intercession of Christians." The troparia and kontakia of the temple of Christ are not said at the liturgy on Sunday throughout the year because the resurrectional precedes. The prokeimenon, apostle, alleluia, and gospel of the tone, and the saint of the day, if there is one. The communion hymn: "Praise the Lord from the heavens." Then the saint of the day, if there is one.

Note:

At the vigil of all-night singing. When it is a vigil, and we sing the psalm: "Praise the name of the Lord: and Give thanks unto the Lord," then the analogion is set in the middle of the church, and upon it is placed the festal icon of the Lord of the day, or the Theotokos, or the saint, and the saints. The presiding priest vests in the holy place and all the clergy in the phelonion as usual, and exiting the altar, standing on both sides around the analogion. The presiding priest distributes candles to the concelebrating clergy and the people standing in the church. After the distribution, taking the censer, the deacon preceding with the lit candle, he incenses the icon on the analogion first, and enters the altar, and incenses the holy table and the entire altar, and in the church all the local icons on both sides, then the presiding clergy on both sides, and the right choir of singers, and the left. Then he incenses all the standing people, and again the holy doors, and both icons, Christ and the Theotokos, and the analogion. At the same time, the magnification is sung with selected verses from the psalms of David. After this usual singing, the deacon says the small litany, and the sessional hymns are sung, and all the clergy enter the holy altar and remove their sacred vestments, except for the priest whose turn it is to read the gospel. But on Sundays at Matins, except during the polyeleos, we sing the kathisma: "Blessed are the blameless," and after it the troparia: "The angelic choir," and on other days when the magnification is sung except at the vigil, then the priest and deacon only vest in their sacred vestments once, and taking the candle, the deacon with the lit candle, the priest with the censer, incenses the holy table and the entire altar crosswise, exits by the north doors, and incenses the royal doors, and the icons on both sides, and the analogion, then the presiding priest and choirs, and the standing people, as usual, and enters again by the south doors.

Order of the Panagia,

practiced in monasteries every day.

After the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, the presiding priest exits, followed by the brethren, two by two. They recite Psalm 145: "I will extol Thee, my God, O King," to the end. Having reached the refectory, and the psalm being ended, we say the prayer of the table: "Our Father": "Glory, now and ever: Lord, have mercy," thrice. "Bless." The presiding priest or the priest whose turn it is says: "O Christ our God, bless the food and drink of Thy servants." And a portion of the bread from the offering is placed in the panagia, and stands on the prepared place. After eating, he who served the table says: "Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us." We say: "Amen." And rising, we say: "Blessed is the God of mercy, who feeds us from our youth: Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee, holy, glory to Thee, O King." "Glory, now and ever: Lord, have mercy," thrice. "Bless." Making a bow, wishing to raise the panagia, he says: "Bless, fathers and brothers, forgive me, a sinner." We say: "May God forgive you, and have mercy on you." Taking the portion with the outermost fingers of the hand, he raises it a little above the icon of the Trinity, saying loudly: "Great is the name of the Holy Trinity." The presiding priest or the priest whose turn it is: "The Holy Trinity." Raising it above the icon of the Theotokos in the form of a cross, he says: "Most Holy Theotokos, help us." We say: "By her prayers, O God, have mercy and save us." And we say: "We bless thee, O Most Holy Theotokos." Then we sing: "It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos." After all have communed, the presiding priest or the priest says: "Through the prayers of our most holy lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary." We say: "By her prayers, O God, have mercy and save us." "Merciful and compassionate is the Lord, who gives food to those who fear Him, and His righteousness endures forever." Then the psalm: "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." "Holy God": "Most Holy Trinity": After the "Our Father": "We thank Thee, O Christ our God, for visiting us with Thy earthly blessings." And if it is a great feast, the kontakion of the feast is said: if not, we say: "Glory to the Father of our fathers, who art always with us: and now, through the prayers of all the saints: Lord, have mercy," thrice. "Bless." The priest says: "Blessed is the God of mercy, who feeds us from His rich gifts, by His grace and compassion, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, Amen."