All church services are divided into three circles: daily, weekly and annual.
DAILY CIRCLE OF SERVICES
1. Daily cycle of Divine Services those services are called that are performed by St. Orthodox Church throughout the day. There are nine daily Divine Services to be celebrated: Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, the first hour, the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and the Divine Liturgy.
Following the example of Moses, who, describing God's creation of the world, begins the "day" in the evening, so in the Orthodox Church the day begins in the evening - evening.
Vespers- a service performed at the end of the day, in the evening. With this service, we thank God for the passing day.
compline- a service consisting of reading a series of prayers in which we ask the Lord God for forgiveness of sins and that He would give us, coming to sleep (going), peace of body and soul and save us from the wiles of the devil during sleep.
Midnight Office the service is intended to be performed at midnight, in remembrance of the nightly prayer of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. This service encourages believers to always be ready for the day Doomsday, which will come suddenly, like "the bridegroom at midnight" according to the parable of the ten virgins.
Matins- a service performed in the morning, before sunrise. With this service, we thank God for the past night and ask Him for mercy for the coming day.
First hour, corresponding to our seventh hour in the morning, sanctifies the day that has already come with prayer.
On third hour corresponding to our ninth hour in the morning, we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
On sixth hour corresponding to our twelfth hour of the day, the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ is remembered.
On ninth hour, corresponding to our third in the afternoon, remember death on the cross Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Divine Liturgy is the most important Divine service. She remembers all earthly life Savior and is done the sacrament of St. Communion established by the Savior Himself at the Last Supper. Liturgy is served in the morning, before dinner.
All these services in ancient times in monasteries and with hermits were performed separately, at the time set for each of them. But then, for the convenience of believers, they were combined into three Divine Services: evening, morning and afternoon.
Evening Divine Liturgy consists of the ninth hour, Vespers and Compline.
morning- from Midnight Office, Matins and the first hour.
Daytime- from the third and sixth hours and the Liturgy.
On the eve of big holidays and Sundays an evening service is celebrated in which Vespers, Matins and the first hour are combined. Such worship is called all-night vigil(all-night), because among the ancient Christians it lasted all night. The word vigil means: awake.
A visual diagram of the daily circle of worship
Evening.
1. Ninth hour. - (3 p.m)
2. Vespers.
3. Compline.
Morning.
1. Midnight Office. – (12 am)
2. Matins.
3. First hour. – (7 am)
Day.
1. Third hour. – (9 am)
2. The sixth hour. – (12 noon)
3. Liturgy.
WEEKLY SERVICE CIRCLE
2. Weekly, or weekly, circle of Divine Services called the order of services for the seven days of the week. Each day of the week is dedicated to a important event or a particularly revered saint.
On Sunday– The Church remembers and glorifies Resurrection of Christ;
IN Monday(the first day after Sunday) incorporeal forces are glorified - Angels created before man, the closest servants of God;
In Tuesday- glorified saint John the Baptist, as the greatest of all the prophets and the righteous;
IN Wednesday the betrayal of the Lord by Judas is remembered and, in connection with this, a service is performed in memory Cross of the Lord(fast day).
IN Thursday glorified St. Apostles and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker;
IN Friday the sufferings on the cross and the death of the Savior are remembered, and a service is performed in honor of Cross of the Lord(fast day).
IN Saturday is rest day- the Mother of God is glorified, Who is pleased every day, forefathers, prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, righteous and all saints, rested in the Lord. All those who have died are also commemorated. true faith and hope for the resurrection and eternal life.
ANNUAL SERVICE CIRCLE
3. The annual cycle of Divine Services called the order of services throughout the year.
Every day of the year is dedicated to the memory of certain saints, as well as special sacred events - holidays and fasts.
Of all the holidays of the year is the biggest feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ (Easter). This is the feast of the Feast and the Celebration of the festivities. Easter occurs not earlier than March 22 (April 4, NS) and not later than April 25 (May 8, NS), on the first Sunday after the spring full moon.
Then there are twelve great feasts in the year, established in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ and Mother of God, which are called twelfth.
There are holidays in honor of great saints and in honor of the ethereal Powers of heaven - angels.
Therefore, all the holidays in the year, according to their content, are divided into: Lord's, Mother of God and saints.
According to the time of celebration, the holidays are divided into: motionless, which occur every year on the same day of the month, and mobile, which although occur on the same days of the week, but fall on different numbers months in accordance with the time of the celebration of Easter.
According to the solemnity of the church service, the holidays are divided into great, medium and small.
Great holidays always have all-night vigil ; average holidays - not always.
The liturgical church year begins on September 1, old style, and the entire annual cycle of Divine Services is built in relation to the Easter holiday.
Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy. Law of God
Upon entering the temple, the priest in the stole in front of the royal doors begins: "Blessed is our God." Reader: "Amen." “Glory to Thee, our God”, “King of Heaven”, the Trisagion, “Most Holy Trinity”, “Our Father”, and at the exclamation of the priest “For Yours is the Kingdom” - “Come, let us worship” and reads the psalms of the 9th hour. According to the psalms - troparia, and according to the Trisagion - kontakion, the same ones that were read that day at the 3rd and 6th hours before the liturgy. Through the prayer “Lord, Lord Jesus Christ, long-suffering” and the exclamation “God, have mercy on us,” there is no dismissal, and the priest, dressed in a phelonion and opening the veil of the royal doors, goes out before the royal doors and with the exclamation “Blessed be our God” begins Vespers. Reader: "Amen." “Come, let us worship” and the preparatory psalm “Bless, my soul, the Lord.” The priest secretly reads the prayers of the lamp. Great Litany "Let us pray to the Lord in peace." The deacon, if there is one, usually pronounces this litany on the pulpit in front of the royal doors, and so does the priest, if he serves without a deacon. Then the whole ordinary kathisma will be chanted. The kathisma is sung like this: the reader reads the first psalm and others until “Glory” and at the end says: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, and the choir sings: “And now and forever and forever and ever, amen”, “Alleluia, alleluia , alleluia, glory to Thee, O God" (three times), "Lord, have mercy" (three times), "Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit"; the reader: “Now and forever and forever and ever, amen” and reads another “Glory” of the kathisma; ending the second “Glory”, he again says: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, and the choir sings: “Now and ever and forever and ever, amen”, “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God” ( thrice), “Lord, have mercy” (thrice), “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”; reader: “And now and ever and forever and ever, amen” and reads the third, last “Glory” of the kathisma and finishes it himself: “Glory, and now”, “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God” (three times) . In this way all kathismas will be chanted. According to versification - a small litany "Packs and packs."
If there was a vigil that day, then there is no verse of kathisma.
“Lord, I cried out” is sung in the voice of the stichera of Oktoech, and psalms 140, 141 and 129 are read until the verse “If you see iniquity, Lord” and then the stichera of Oktoich - 3 and to the saint - 3 with verses of the psalm; "Glory" - to the saint, if there is a side, "And now" - the Theotokos Oktoikh according to the voice of "Glory" and by day (at the end of the Menaion monthly); if there is no “Glory” to the saint, then “Glory, and now” is the Theotokos or the Theotokos (on Wednesday and Friday) along with the Menaion.
During the singing of the stichera, the priest or deacon incense the altar, iconostasis, faces (kliros), the people and the temple, after which he returns to the royal gates, incense them and two local icons - the Savior and the Mother of God, enters the altar through the southern door and, shaking the throne in front , gives the censer; if a deacon censed, then he censes after everything and the priest. According to the last stichera - "Quiet Light" and prokimen for the day. “Vouchee, O Lord, this evening.” Litany "Perform the Evening Prayer" before the Royal Doors.
On the sticheron of the sticheron of Oktoikh with the verses “I brought to Thee”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Glory” - to the saint, if there is along, “And now” - Theotokos in the voice of “Glory” and in the day (at the end of the Menaion), and if there is no “Glory” to the saint, then “Glory, and now” is the Theotokos or the Cross of the Theotokos in the Menaia alongside. “Now you let go”, the Trisagion, “Our Father” and at the exclamation of the priest “As Yours is the Kingdom” - the troparion to the saint, “Glory, and now” - the Theotokos is dismissive in the voice of the troparion to the saint and by day (at the end of the Menaion). If there is no troparion for a saint, then a common troparion for a saint, or a martyr, or a reverend. The litany "Have mercy on us, O God", complete, before the royal gates. According to the litany, the priest or deacon, standing in the same place, proclaims: "Wisdom." Face: "Bless." Priest: "Be blessed." Face: "Amen. Confirm, God." Priest: "Most Holy Theotokos, save us." Lik: "Honest." Priest: "Glory to Thee, Christ God." Lik: “Glory, and now”, “Lord, have mercy” (three times), “Bless”. The priest, turning to the people, makes a complete leave. The face is longevity.
Then the priest enters the altar, closes the veil of the royal doors, removes the phelonion, and with the exclamation "Blessed be our God" begins Little Compline. Reader: "Amen. Come, let us bow down” (three times), Psalm 50 and so on. Compline is read in the middle of the church before the pulpit. According to "Glory in the highest" - the canon of the Theotokos in Oktoikh alongside. Irmoses - once, troparia - as many as there are. According to the canon “It is worthy to eat”, the Trisagion, “Our Father”. According to the exclamation of the priest, the troparion to the temple, if the temple of Christ or the Theotokos, then to the day and common ordinary: if the temple of Christ, then at Compline on Tuesday and Thursday, the troparion to the temple is left for the whole year, and these days are read first to the day - “Save, Lord, people Yours”, then to the temple of the Theotokos or a saint, then the general privates, and other readings of Compline follow; dismissed briefly before the royal gates. Compline ends with the litany "Let us pray for the Great Lord."
Midnight service every day. The priest in one stole in front of the throne proclaims: "Blessed is our God." Reader. "Amen. Glory to Thee, our God”, “King of Heaven”, the Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Come, let us worship” and Psalm 50, then the 17th kathisma, all without versification. "I believe in the One God." The short dismissal before the royal doors and the litany "Let us pray for the Great Lord."
Morning everyday. At the end of the Midnight Office, the priest enters the altar, dresses in a phelonion, opens the veil of the royal doors, takes the censer, and, censing, proclaims: "Blessed is our God." Reader: "Amen. Come, let us worship” and reads the 19th and 20th psalms; according to the psalms and the Trisagion - the troparia "Save, Lord." During the reading of the psalms and troparia, the priest censes the altar, the entire temple, faces and people. At the end of the reading of the troparia, the priest, standing before the throne with a censer, pronounces the litany "Have mercy on us, O God", a short one, consisting of three petitions. Priest: "Have mercy on us, O God." Lik: "Lord, have mercy" (three times). Priest: "We still pray for the Great Lord." Lik: "Lord, have mercy" (three times). Priest: "We also pray for all the brethren and for all Christians." Lik: "Lord, have mercy" (three times). Priest exclamation: "Like merciful." Face: Amen. "Bless in the name of the Lord, father." The priest, making the sign of the cross with a censer, proclaims: "Glory to the Saints," and the reader reads the Six Psalms in the middle of the church in front of the pulpit. The priest, having given the censer, prays before the throne. After the first three psalms, the priest, leaving the altar, secretly reads the morning prayers according to the Missal in front of the royal doors. The great litany is pronounced before the royal doors.
“God is the Lord, and appear to us” is proclaimed with verses, just like a prokimen, and the clergy sings “God is the Lord” in the voice of a troparion to an ordinary saint. Troparion to the saint (twice), "Glory, and now" - Theotokos from the lesser ones (the dismissal of the Theotokos at the end of the Menaion). Two ordinary kathismas are chanted, sometimes three, as directed by the Charter. There are no small litanies according to the kathismata, and after the versification, the sedals of the Octoechos are read or sung along with the Mother of God or the Cross of the Mother of God. Then - psalm 50.
There are three canons: Octoechos - two, the first - for 6 with irmos, irmos once each, the second - for 4, and to the saint in the Menaion - for 4 without irmos. There is no katavasia, but only instead of katavasia on the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 9th songs, the irmos of Menaion is sung. According to the 3rd ode, the litany is small, saddle to the saint with the Theotokos in the Menaion. According to the 6th ode, a small litany, kontakion and ikos to the saint in the Menaion. According to the 8th song, we sing the “Most Honest”, on which the priest or deacon incense the altar, temple, faces, people. According to the 9th ode "It is worthy to eat", a small litany. Svetilen Oktoikh, "Glory" - luminary to the saint, "And now" - His Mother of God; if there is no lamp for the saint, then “Glory, and now” is the Theotokos or the Theotokos of the Cross of Oktoikh. Then Psalms 148, 149 and 150 are read, and the first of them begins with the words “Praise the Lord from heaven” (and not “Every breath”), “Glory to You who showed us the light.” "Gloria". Litany "Let's Fulfill morning prayer". On the verse is the stichera of Oktoikh with the verses “Let us be filled in the morning”. "Glory" - to the saint in the Menaion, "And now" - Theotokos according to the voice of "Glory" and by day (at the end of the Menaion); if there is no “Glory” to the saint, then “Glory, and now” - the Theotokos from Oktoikh alongside. "It's good to eat", once; according to the "Our Father" troparion to an ordinary saint, "Glory, and now" - the Theotokos dismissive of the lesser (at the end of the Menaion or Hours). Litany "Have mercy on us, O God", complete. Then the priest or deacon: "Wisdom." Face: "Bless." Priest: "Be blessed." Lik: “Affirm, O God,” and immediately the reader reads the 1st hour, and the priest closes the curtain of the royal doors. At the 1st hour after the psalms on "Glory" - a troparion to the daytime saint, "And now" - the Theotokos of the hour. According to the Trisagion kontakion to the saint. At the prayer of the priest, “Christ, the True Light,” the choir sings (according to the custom of the Russian Church, consecrated by antiquity) “The Chosen Governor,” and then the priest in front of the royal doors proclaims: “Glory to Thee, Christ God.” Lik: "Glory, and now," and the priest says a complete leave. The face is longevity.
At the 3rd and 6th hours the troparion and kontakion are the same as at the 1st hour.
At the Divine Liturgy, the daily antiphons “It is good” (in the Irmology and in the Apostle at the end). If the saint is assigned the song of the canon on Blessed, then the pictorial “Bless, my soul, the Lord” is read and Blessed is Octoechos - on 4 and the saint, song 3 - on 4. Entrance with the Gospel.
During the entrance to the Divine Liturgy, one should not proclaim to the deacon or priest in a loud voice: “Let us pray to the Lord”, so that the clergy would answer: “Lord, have mercy”, and the entrance should take place during the reading or singing of the 3rd Antiphon or Blessed, and “Let us pray to the Lord” , like the entrance prayer, is said in a low voice. The same entrance happens at Vespers, at which the Gospel is read. So the entrance was made in the Great Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, and the Service Book and the Official clearly indicate to say “Let us pray to the Lord” barely audibly.
Entrance: "Come, let's bow ... In the holy divens Who sings Ty: alleluia" (once).
At the entrance of the troparia to the temple of Christ or the Mother of God, the day and the temple of the saint, the holy ordinary; then a kontakion to the temple of Christ, a day, a temple of a saint, an ordinary saint, “Glory” - “God rest with the saints”, “And now” - a kontakion to the temple of the Virgin, and if it is not there, then “And now” - “The Intercession of Christians”. If Wednesday or Friday, then the troparia "Save, Lord", then the temple of the Virgin and the temple of the saint and the ordinary saint; kontakia to the day “Ascended to the Cross”; the temple of a saint, an ordinary saint, “Glory” - “God rest with the saints”, “And now” - the temple of the Virgin (the temple of Christ these days does not rely on the troparion and kontakion). If the temple is only Christ's, then the troparia is to the temple, to the day, to the ordinary saint; kontakia to the day, to an ordinary saint, “Glory” - “Give rest to the saints”, “And now” - to the temple of Christ. If the temple is only a saint, then at the entrance of the troparia to the day, the temple of the saint, the ordinary saint; kontakion on Wednesday and Friday afternoon, and on other days to the temple of the saint, an ordinary saint, “Glory” - “Rest with the saints”, “And now” - “The Intercession of Christians”. Prokeimenon, Apostle, Gospel and partaker of the day; if it is necessary for a saint, then after the daytime it is also read to the saint, Alleluia - before the Gospel to one saint. Shown here general order daily service is a model for all days of the week, except Sunday, if these days do not happen the feast of the Lord, the Mother of God, the great saint and temple, having vigils and polyeles.
The content of the article
ORTHODOX SERVICE. Worship is a ritually formalized, conciliar (public) prayer addressed to God. Orthodox worship (as a liturgical system) was developed in the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and then adopted by the Orthodox Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, and is used to this day by all churches descending from these Patriarchates. The Orthodox liturgical system was a synthesis of Constantinople and Palestinian rites, which took shape in the monasteries Orthodox world during the 9th–14th centuries.
Orthodox worship includes the Divine Liturgy, the sacraments (Eucharist, or communion; baptism; chrismation; unction, or unction; repentance; the sacrament of marriage; the sacrament of priesthood - ordination to the priesthood), daily worship (matins, vespers, midnight office, hours, vigil) and services of the liturgical year, with a calendar of fixed and movable feasts, as well as a number of less significant celebrations, such as the blessing of waters, fruits, etc. All the wealth of the liturgical rite is collected in the canonical liturgical books.
Divine services of the daily circle.
According to traditions dating back to the Old Testament, the service to God should be performed continuously throughout the day (the liturgical day begins at 6 pm). The following of this tradition in Orthodoxy is evidenced by the names of the services of the daily circle. There are nine of them in total, and they are combined into three main services: evening (service of the ninth hour, vespers and compline), morning (midnight office, matins and first hour) and daytime (third hour, sixth hour and liturgy).
Evening worship.
Vespers is a service celebrated in gratitude for the past day and for the blessing of the coming night. Compline follows. With this divine service, the church admonishes those who go to sleep and prays to God for their preservation during sleep.
Morning worship.
The Midnight Office is served at midnight (currently before Matins). Its main content is the thought of the second coming of Christ; By the whole structure of this divine service, the church inspires believers with the idea of the need to always be ready to meet God. Matins prayers are called to thank the Creator for the past night and to sanctify the beginning of the coming day.
Daily worship.
Hours (service of the first, third, sixth and ninth hours) are called short services, consisting of several selected psalms and edifying prayers. Cm. WATCH .
Vespers.
On the eve of Sundays and holidays, a vigil is served. It includes Vespers, Matins and the first hour service. The all-night vigil (or all-night vigil) was established in the 4th century. Archbishop of Constantinople John Chrysostom. In the 8th and 9th centuries it was significantly supplemented by John of Damascus and Theodore the Studite and adopted the solemn structure that distinguishes this type of worship to this day. In contrast to the daily Vespers and Matins, the service of the All-Night Vigil is served by the so-called. evening entry. The priest and the deacon with the censer come out of the altar to the pulpit (an elevation located opposite the royal doors in front of the salt of the temple) and after the prayers addressed to the Mother of God and the singing of the hymn to Jesus Christ Light quiet return to the altar through the royal gates. On the eve of the great feasts, paroemias are read at the all-night service - selected passages from the books of the Old Testament - and a litia (general intensified prayer) is performed, during which the priest blesses wine, bread and oil. The inclusion of this rite is due to the fact that in ancient times in the East the all-night service lasted all night and at the end of its first part, wheat, wine and oil were distributed to the believers to strengthen their strength. The most solemn part of the all-night service is called polyeleos (Greek “many oil”, or “much consecration”). At this time, all the lamps are lit in the temple. The priest and the deacon with a censer and a candle bypass the temple and take out the Gospel from the altar. After reading a chapter from it, the Gospel is placed on a lectern in the center of the temple for worship. After the polyeleos, the canon is read - a prayer book compiled according to special rules of nine songs. The All-Night Vigil ends with a solemn song in honor of the Mother of God Chosen governor is victorious.
Liturgy.
Despite the emphasized solemnity of the all-night service, it is, in essence, just a common prayer, accompanied by singing and reading of sacred texts. In contrast, the liturgy, or mass, is the culmination of everything that happens in the church, the focus of the entire liturgical system, since its central point is the sacrament of the Eucharist, or thanksgiving. The prototype of the liturgy was the Last Supper described in the Gospel, during which Jesus, raising a cup of wine with the words “This cup is the New Testament in My Blood”, gave the disciples-apostles a drink from it, and then, breaking the paschal unleavened bread and calling it His Body gave the apostles a taste of it. The memory of this event became the core of the liturgical service. However, in the liturgy, the remembrance of the Last Supper is transformed into a mystical meal of the unity of all those who are faithful to Christ. This is not an ordinary memory of past events, but a daily confirmation of the true sojourn of the God-man in his church. This is a service that, through the remembrance of the deeds and sufferings of Christ and through the sensual eating of sacrificial food, unites the faithful with the Savior himself and elevates their minds to the knowledge of the innermost mysteries of the transcendent world.
Proskomedia.
The first part of the liturgy is called the proskomidia and is a rite of preparation for the actual Liturgy. Proskomidia is performed invisibly for the worshipers on the left side of the altar space on a special table, an altar, on which the priest prepares the substance for the sacrament of the Eucharist - sacrificial bread and wine. As sacrificial bread Orthodox Church not unleavened bread (unleavened bread) is used, as in the Western church, but leavened, baked from yeast dough prosphora, which are small round loaves with the image of a cross and the inscription IS XC NIKA. From the largest prosphora, the priest “takes out” (i.e. cuts out) a part called the Lamb, and puts it on a diskos (plate), and pours the right amount of wine mixed with water into the chalice (chalice). A part in honor of the Mother of God is taken out of the second prosphora and placed next to the Lamb to his right. From the third prosphora, nine particles are taken out in honor of John the Baptist, the prophets, apostles, Joachim and Anna, the parents of Mary, in honor of the saint commemorated on this day, and all the ranks of holiness. From the fourth prosphora, particles are taken out for the health of the living, and from the fifth - for the repose of the dead. They are placed to the left of the Lamb. In the rituals of the proskomedia, the events of the life of Christ before his entry into the path of public service are recalled.
Liturgy of the catechumens
- the second part of the liturgy. In the ancient church, it was allowed to be present at it for those who were penitent and not baptized, but preparing to be baptized (catechumens, undergoing catechesis, i.e. catechesis). During the celebration of the Liturgy of the catechumens, the life of Christ is remembered from his incarnation to the suffering, and in the so-called choirs performed by the choir. pictorial psalms "depict" the fruits of the coming of the Son of God to earth. On great holidays, instead of pictorial psalms, the left and right choirs alternately sing solemn hymns - antiphons. Important integral part The liturgy of the catechumens is the reading of the Gospel, which is preceded by the ritual of the small entrance: the deacon takes the Gospel out of the altar, followed by the priest. Before the Gospel, which marks Jesus Christ and his teachings, a lit candle is carried. On Sundays and holidays The gospel is read on the pulpit, on weekdays - on the throne. The second part of the liturgy ends with the litany (prayer petition) for the catechumens, after which the catechumens left the temple in the ancient church.
Liturgy of the Faithful
- the final part of the liturgy. Her rituals symbolize last supper, the suffering of Jesus Christ, His resurrection, ascension and second coming to earth. The prepared sacrificial bread and wine (Gifts) are transferred by the priest and deacon from the altar to the throne. This ritual is called the great entrance. The procession moves from the left pastophorium ( cm. ORTHODOX TEMPLE), where the altar is located, to the royal gates. In front are the deacons with candles and a censer, followed by the clergy, carrying a chalice and paten with the Gifts, as well as air, a cloth that covered the cooked bread and wine. Gifts are solemnly brought to the altar. The visually great entrance is the most dramatic rite of the liturgy, accompanied by singing Cherubic song. Seen in him symbolic image death and burial of Christ. After the Great Entrance, preparations begin for the consecration of the Gifts. The special attention of the faithful to this part of the Liturgy is excited by the singing of the Creed. The priest, remembering the Last Supper, pronounces the words of Christ himself: “Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins” and further: “This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins." Then he takes the diskos and the chalice in the form of a cross and, with the words of a prayer, offers them as a gift to God, pronouncing the prayer of the epiclesis - invoking the Holy Spirit on the offered Gifts. At this time, by the power and action of the Holy Spirit, the Gifts are transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ. The believers are announced about this solemn and mysterious action by the blows of the bell. After the consecration of the Gifts, they are offered to God with prayer as a thanksgiving sacrifice (for the saints), as a propitiatory sacrifice (for the dead, but not yet blessed), and as a cleansing sacrifice for living Christians, i.e. for the whole church. Just as Jesus himself ended the Last Supper with a prayer to the Father for all who believe in him, so the Church, after the consecration of the Gifts, prays for all its members, living and dead. This prayer has special meaning: the priest prays that communion of the Body and Blood of the Savior will become a guarantee of the salvation of the faithful, so that through communion they will be united with God himself. Then the communion itself begins. First, priests partake of the Holy Gifts in the altar, after which the royal doors open and the deacon calls the faithful to communion. The priest comes out of the altar onto the salt of the temple and takes out the cup with the Blood and the Body of the Savior. The communicants, with their hands folded crosswise on their chests, approach the chalice in turn, receiving a particle of the Body and Blood. After communion, the last blessing of those present follows. The priest pronounces the dismissal, or prayer of forgiveness, and the choir sings many years to all Christians. This concludes the liturgy. see also LITURGY; MASS. Orthodox worship performed in the temple is distinguished by the special beauty and solemnity of its rituals and still amazes everyone who attends it for the first time. Church ceremonies and choral singing in conjunction with the architecture of the temple and the wealth of its interior decoration, including icons, frescoes, lamps, liturgical vessels, fabrics and clothes of priests, gave rise to a kind of symbolic image of the liturgical action, the strength of the impact of which is evidenced by the legend of the visit to Constantinople by the ambassadors of the Russian prince Vladimir. Describing their impressions of the service in Hagia Sophia, they expressed them in the following words: “We did not know whether we were in heaven or on earth, for there is no such sight and beauty on earth.”
