Medieval Liturgy Working Group Meeting: “A ‘Paschal’ Canon for St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki: An Extreme Example of Imitation in Byzantine Hymns”
An unusual set of hymns for St. Demetrios of Thessaloniki survives in a variety of Greek manuscripts from the tenth to fourteenth centuries. The hymns commemorate the martyrdom of St. Demetrius and his protection of the city of Thessaloniki, which possesses his reliquary and has served as the center of his cult from the sixth century onward. The hymns are unusual because they are modeled on the Byzantine Holy Week. The matins canon (an elaborate, poly-strophic hymn) for the feast day itself is particularly remarkable, for being a very close imitation of the Paschal canon attributed to John of Damascus.
This presentation will introduce and compare the canon for St. Demetrius and the Paschal canon, with reflection on the theological and ritual implications of this juxtaposition. Susan will share excerpts from her work-in-progress translation of the St. Demetrius canon into English.