THE CHRISTMAS KONTAKION OF SAINT ROMANOS

The most famous of Saint Romanos' works is the Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ, composed around 518 AD. Saint Romanos received the gift of sacred poetry through a vision on Christmas Eve, when the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream, gave him a scroll to swallow, and thus endowed him with divine inspiration. Upon awakening, he immediately went to Church and chanted the Hymn from the pulpit, astonishing the congregation with both its profound theology and his newly clear, sonorous voice. 

Dec. 24, 2023 Denias Timotius: Arabic Christmas Chant by St. Romanos the Melodist.

The Kontakion is a 'sermon in verse' composed in a poetic structure that typically consists of 18 to 30 stanzas (called oikoi or ikoi), each ending with a repeated refrain.

The form was developed from Syriac traditions and became especially prominent in Greek-speaking Byzantium during the 6th century, largely due to Saint Romanos' contributions.

The Kontakion on the Nativity is structured as a dramatic dialogue between the Mother of God and the Magi, with the first stanza and the prelude still sung in full during the Orthodox liturgical celebration of Christmas.

The prelude, beginning with "Today the Virgin gives birth to Him who is above all being," remains one of the most beloved hymns in the Orthodox Church.

The full kontakion, which once included 24 stanzas, was historically sung at the imperial banquet on Christmas Day and was chanted by the joint choirs of Aghia Sophia and the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople until the 12th century.

Patristix has a reading of a 6th century hymn for Christmas, and has a look at the beloved saint who wrote it! While not officially a Christmas Carol by definition, it is a beautiful glimpse of a Christmas text from one and a half thousand years ago.

Dec. 17, 2025 Patristix: Nativity Kontakion (& Romanos the Melodist). 

Η ψυχή των παλαιοχριστιανικών παραδόσεων παραμένει δυνατή. Η περιοχή της Μεσοποταμίας θα πρέπει να είναι η έγνοια του ελληνικού κράτους.
Η Λιβανεζα Ριχμπαλ με μουσικές σπουδές στην Ελλάδα ψαλεί στα αρχαία αραμαϊκά. Την γλώσσα που μιλούσε ο Ιησούς. pic.twitter.com/6QIwW1Nl2Q

— giorgospolychrono (@giorgospolys) December 25, 2025

- More Eastern Orthodoxy, Christmas -