What happens at the all-night vigil?translated

Continued. Starts at No. 17 (673) dated September 9, 2026

The culmination of the all-night vigil is the reading of the Gospel, before which there are several preparatory moments. After the singing of the Sunday troparions “Blessed art thou, O Lord,” and the small litany, which is an abbreviation of the great one, special hymns are sung - sedate ones (power antiphons).

As a special type of chant in Orthodox worship, sedate chants appeared in the 8th–9th centuries. They received their name due to their connection with the fifteen “grave” psalms (Psalms 119–133 in the Psalter), which in ancient times were sung by priests and pilgrims as they climbed the fifteen steps of the Temple of Jerusalem. Today, sedates are hymnographic texts modeled after these psalms and reflecting themes of repentance, praising God, and spiritual ascension.

According to tradition, the author of the sedate antiphons is considered to be the Venerable John of Damascus. The Venerable Theodore the Studite and his brother Saint Joseph, Archbishop of Thessalonica, also took part in the formation of the tradition.

Power antiphons are written for all eight voices, to the melody of which they are performed during the divine service. But there is a wonderful musical version that the author created...