Icon of the Synaxis of the Theotokos (Pskov, 17th century).

In Eastern Christianity (the Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite), a Synaxis (Greek: Συνάχις; Slavonic: Собор, Sobor) is an assembly for liturgical purposes, generally through the celebration of Vespers, Matins, Little Hours, and the Divine Liturgy. Look up icon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Theotokos of Kazan Theotokos (Greek: , translit. ... Pskov (Russian: , ancient Russian spelling Пльсковъ (Plescow)) is an ancient city, located in the north-west of Russia about 20 km east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions and churches which developed in Greece, Russia, Armenia, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, northeastern Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Eastern Christianity. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Athanasius · Augustine · Constantine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Calvin · Luther · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      The... The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called Constantinopolitan, is the liturgical rite used (in various languages) by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches and by several Eastern Catholic Churches. ... Church Slavonic may refer to: Old Church Slavonic language Church Slavonic language This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... For the Anglican service of Mattins see Morning Prayer Matins is the early morning prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... The Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. ...

Feast day

In Constantinople, the clergy and faithful would often gather together on specific feast days at a church dedicated to the saint of that day for liturgical celebrations. These gatherings were referred to as synaxes. These synaxes came to have services written specifically for them. A Synaxis often occurs on the day following a Major Feast Day and is in honor of saints who participated in the event. For example, services on the Feast of Theophany (the revelation of the Trinity at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan) would be held at Hagia Sophia; then, the next day, a Synaxis was observed in honor of St. John the Forerunner at the church dedicated to him. Over time, the synaxes came into general use and are now celebrated in every church. This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... Icon illustrating, in the center, the Resurrection appearances of Jesus and around the sides, the Great Feasts. ... Adoration of the Magi by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 17th century (Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio). ... This article is about the Christian Trinity. ... In the synoptic gospels, Jesus is baptised by John the Baptist. ... This article is about the Jordan River in western Asia. ... For other uses, see Hagia Sophia (disambiguation). ... St. ...

Synaxis can also refer to a common commemoration of a number of saints in a single service, such as the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles. Each individual saint may have his or her own seperate feast day, but they are all commemorated together on their synaxis. The Seventy of the Gospel of Luke 10:1 – 20, though not literally named apostles, were followers that Jesus appointed and sent away (the Greek verb form apostello, not the noun form apostolos). ...

Most synaxes are observed as fixed feasts, being celebrated on the same calendar date year after year, though some occur on the nearest Sunday to a particular date. Other synaxes are celebrated on the Paschal cycle, moving backward or forward in the calendar according to the date of Pascha (Easter) that year. The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... In the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, the cycle of the moveable feast is built around Pascha, or Easter. ... Easter (also called Pascha) is generally accounted the most important holiday of the Christian year, observed March or April each year to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead (after his death by crucifixion; see Good Friday), which Christians believe happened at about this time of year, almost two...

The following are Synaxes which are universally observed in the Rite of Constantinople: The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called Constantinopolitan, is the liturgical rite used (in various languages) by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches and by several Eastern Catholic Churches. ...

• Synaxis of the Theotokos (December 26)
• Synaxis of the Forerunner (January 7)
• Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles (January 4)
• Synaxis of the Three Great Hierarchs (January 30)
• Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (March 26 and July 13)
• Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles (June 30)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council (May 22)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council (July 25)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Third Ecumenical Council (September 9)
• Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers (November 8)
• Synaxis of the Holy Unmercenaries (November 1)

• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (Sunday before Pentecost and May 29)
• Synaxis of All Saints (Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Sunday on or after October 8)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (January 23)

There are also synaxes which have been composed for local observance: … The Descent of the Holy Spirit in a 15th century illuminated manuscript. ...

• Synaxis of the Saints of Belarus
• Synaxis of the Saints of North America (second Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of all Saints of Pskov (third Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Kostroma (January 23)
• Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod (February 10, October 4, and the third Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Lavra (second Sunday of Great Lent)
• Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslavl (May 23)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Ryzan (June 10)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Siberia (June 10)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir (June 23)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh (July 6)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Solovki Monastery (August 9)
• Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Far Caves in Kiev (August 28)
• Synaxis of the Serbian Hierarchs (August 30)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Tula (September 22)
• Synaxis of All Saints of Alaska (September 24)
• Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Near Caves in Kiev (September 28)
• Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Kazan (October 4)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia (October 10)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Belarus (second Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Optina (October 11)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Georgia (December 11)
• Synaxis of all Saints of Serbia (August 28)
• Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Moscow (October 5)

• Synaxis of all Saints of Moscow (Sunday before August 26th)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Smolensk (Sunday closest to July 23)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Tver (Sunday closest to July 3)

Great Lent is the greatest fasting period in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter (or Holy Pascha). Although it is in many ways similar to Lent in Western Christianity, there are important differences in the timing of Lent... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Tvers coat of arms depicts grand ducal crown placed on a throne. ...

Assembly

A Synaxis is a group of churchmen - especially in the Orthodox Church - who would otherwise compose a Synod but lack an officiating Patriarch. Orthodox icon of Pentecost. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ... For other senses, see Patriarch (disambiguation). ...

Because they did not recognize the authority of the Latin Patriarchs following the Council of Florence, the group of churchmen opposing the Council and its Union called themselves the Synaxis. The most influential and famous of these was the monk Gennadios, better known as Georgios Scholarios, who later became Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. The Latins were an ancient Italic people who migrated to central Italy, (Latium Vetus - Old Latium), in the 2nd millennium B.C., maybe from the Adriatic East Coast and Balkanic Area, perhaps from pressures by Illyrian peoples. ... The Latin Patriarch of Constantinople was an office established as a result of Crusader activity in the Middle East. ... A decree of the Council of Constance (9 October 1417), sanctioned by Pope Martin V obliged the papacy to summon general councils periodically. ... The term Eastern Rites may refer to the liturgical rites used by many ancient Christian Churches of Eastern Europe and the Middle East that, while being part of the Roman Catholic Church, are distinct from the Latin Rite or Western Church. ... Gennadius II (lay name Georgios Scholarios) (died circa 1473), patriarch of Constantinople from 1454 to 1464, philosopher and theologian, was one of the last representatives of Byzantine learning, and a strong advocate of Aristotelian philosophy in the Church. ... Throne inside the Patriarchade of Constantinople. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia