Akathist Hymn to Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimythous, the Wonderworker

Thou didst appear at the First Council as a mighty champion, O God-clothed wonderworker Spyridon, our father; thou didst speak to the dead woman and she answered thee at once, thou didst change a serpent into gold, and at thy prayers thou hadst angels as fellow-helpers and fellow-celebrants, O most sacred one. Glory to Him who hath glorified thee; glory to Him who hath crowned thee; glory to Him who worketh through thee wonders for all.

O hierarch and wonderworker Spyridon, surpassingly glorified by God, we who keep the feast of thy all-honourable memory at this time sing to thee with compunction as a mighty intercessor before Christ who glorified thee: deliver us from all afflictions and evils, that we may cry to thee with thanksgiving: Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

Adorned from youth with every good work, thou becamest an imitator of the angels, O hierarch Spyridon; thou didst appear truly as a friend of Christ, and we, beholding thee as a heavenly man and an earthly angel, cry to thee piously with compunction:

Rejoice, mind that understood the mystery of the all-holy Trinity; rejoice, thou who wast enriched by the breathing of the most enlightening Spirit; rejoice, lampstand of many lights; rejoice, thou who didst enlighten thy mind through dispassion; rejoice, lover from thy youth of true simplicity and silence; rejoice, adornment of innocence; rejoice, river of unfailing love; rejoice, for thou didst imitate Abraham in hospitality; rejoice, for thou didst open wide to all the doors of thy house in the abundance of love; rejoice, intercessor for the destitute; rejoice, for the peoples hope in thee; rejoice, for thou art a dwelling of the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

When the people of the island of Cyprus and all Christians saw, O hierarch, that healings spring forth abundantly from thy incorrupt relics, they rejoiced; and we too who honour thee as a fountain of all-abundant grace sent down from on high sing to the Most High, the Giver of good things heavenly and earthly: Alleluia.

Thou hadst divine understanding when, a shepherd of dumb sheep, thou wast chosen by the will of Christ the Chief Shepherd to shepherd rational sheep; and all the righteous, knowing thee as a good shepherd labouring unsleepingly for the sheep entrusted to him, sing to thee:

Rejoice, hierarch of God Most High, who by the laying on of hands didst receive divine grace abundantly; rejoice, lampstand of many lights, fervent and radiant; rejoice, faithful labourer and gardener of Christ; rejoice, shepherd who feedest thy flock in the pasture of faith and godliness; rejoice, thou who enlightenest the world with the light of thy good works; rejoice, offerer of the divine sacrifice at the throne of Christ; rejoice, hierarch who by thy understanding adornest Orthodoxy; rejoice, fulfiller of the preaching of the apostles, who waterest the righteous from the fountain of saving teaching; rejoice, for thou enlightenest even the wise; rejoice, for thou sheddest light upon the simple of heart; rejoice, unshaken guardian of the Church and of the word of Orthodoxy; rejoice, adornment of the fathers, glory and boast of priests who serve God; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

Blessed by the power of the Most High, O hierarch Spyridon, thou didst appear divinely wise, and by squeezing a potsherd in thy fingers thou didst show clearly to all the Trinity of Persons, and thereby didst confound the falsely wise philosophers of that council, while thou didst make wise unto salvation all the righteous who glorify the incomprehensible God and sing to Him: Alleluia.

The fathers of the council thought thee simple and unskilled in book learning, and they besought thee, father Spyridon, to make no answer to the words of those orators whom they thought wise; but thou, O hierarch, kindled with divine zeal, didst believe that the preaching of Christ is not with the persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, by which thou didst most wisely reprove them, bring them to their senses and set them on the path of truth; and all who saw this wonder cried out:

Rejoice, light of Orthodox wisdom; rejoice, for by thy word thou didst overcome that falsely wise disputant; rejoice, fountain of abundant grace; rejoice, unshaken pillar that strengtheneth the faithful; rejoice, thou who darkenest every destructive heresy; rejoice, for through thee this madness was trampled down; rejoice, for with the fingers of thy fleshly hand thou didst preach the Holy Trinity; rejoice, for thou didst bring forth fire and water from the potsherd to bear witness to the dogma of the Holy Trinity; rejoice, for thou didst enlighten men to glorify the Word as truly one in essence with the unoriginate Father; rejoice, for thou didst crush the head of the serpent, the destructive heresy of Arius; rejoice, for thou didst trample down wickedness; rejoice, for thou didst turn that false sage, thy disputant, to the true faith; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

Thou didst pass this life in poverty and want, and becamest a feeder and helper of the destitute and the poor, and for love of the poor thou didst change a serpent into gold and give it to those who awaited thy help; and they, amazed at this wonder, sang to God: Alleluia.

All heard from every side that the hierarch Spyridon is truly a dwelling of the Holy Trinity, for in him God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit made their abode; therefore in deed and word thou didst preach the true God incarnate among Christians who sing:

Rejoice, initiate of the Word of God; rejoice, interpreter of the divine economy for the salvation of the world; rejoice, for thou didst teach us not to search into what is beyond human mind and wisdom; rejoice, for the power of God, working unsearchably, was made manifest in thee; rejoice, for the Lord was made known to us through thy preaching; rejoice, for thou sweetenest the hearing of all; rejoice, for thou drivest away the darkness of idolatry; rejoice, for thou didst lead many to the true faith; rejoice, for thou didst crush the head of the invisible serpent; rejoice, for the faith of the Orthodox was magnified through thee; rejoice, for thou enlightenest with light all who honour thee; rejoice, champion of Orthodoxy and of the faith of Christians; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

O hierarch Spyridon, through thy life of good works thou wast filled with the divine Spirit, for thou didst appear meek, merciful, pure of heart, long-suffering, remembering no evil and hospitable; therefore thou wast glorified with wonders by the Creator, and we too, glorifying God who glorified thee, sing to Him: Alleluia.

Behold Spyridon, equal to the angels and glorious wonderworker: once, when the land suffered greatly from lack of rain and drought, there came famine and plague, and a great multitude of the people perished; but at the prayers of the hierarch heaven sent down rain upon the earth, and men delivered from this affliction cried with thanksgiving:

Rejoice, thou who art likened to Elijah, the great prophet; rejoice, for thou didst send down upon the earth in due season rain that drove away famine and sickness; rejoice, for again by thy prayer the heaven was shut; rejoice, for thou didst punish that merciless merchant by the loss of his goods; rejoice, for thou didst bestow food abundantly on all the afflicted; rejoice, for thou didst labour for the well-being of men for God’s sake; rejoice, for thou didst bear the infirmities of the infirm; rejoice, helper of men who give thanks to God; rejoice, giver of healing to the sick; rejoice, for the demons tremble before thee; rejoice, thou who bringest forth many wonders; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

The veil of the temple of the Old Covenant in the Holy of Holies covered the ark, the manna and the tablets of the law; and this thy church, O hierarch Spyridon, guardeth thy shrine as the ark, thy holy relics as the manna, and thy heart as the tablets of divine grace; and upon it we see the hymn inscribed: Alleluia.

Once, for the increase of lawlessness in the land of Cyprus, the Lord sent barrenness as a punishment. And a certain notable farmer came to the holy Spyridon and besought him to receive gold to help him; and after the trial the farmer brought the gold back again, and by a great wonder that gold became a serpent. And we, glorifying God in His saints, cry:

Rejoice, for thou becamest an imitator of Moses, who by a wonder changed his rod into a serpent; rejoice, shepherd who lovest mankind, who didst deliver from afflictions the rational sheep of thy flock; rejoice, thou who enrichest many abundantly with all good things; rejoice, for like Elijah thou becamest a feeder of the poor; rejoice, thou who turnest the unmerciful to mercy; rejoice, kind example of love for the men who dwell in this world; rejoice, comforter in afflictions of the just and the unjust; rejoice, tree of fair shade and leaves, protector of the land and its cities; rejoice, glory and boast of Corfu; rejoice, thou who by the grace of God commandest rain and drought, heat and frost; rejoice, thou who by the power of prayer changest the order of nature; rejoice, thou who foreknowest the future as the present; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

Thou hast appeared before God as the intercessor of all, holy Spyridon; therefore we who seek salvation flee beneath thy protection, and we have thee as a helper in every distress and famine, and for those wounded by deadly plague, affliction and trial; therefore we sing with thanksgiving to God: Alleluia.

We have seen a new and divinely radiant wonder: when thou, O father, wast going to deliver a man unjustly condemned to death, and the swelling of a torrent hindered thee for a time, thou didst command it to stand still in the name of Almighty God, and with thy companions didst cross the river as on dry land; and the glory of this wonder was spread abroad everywhere, and all sang to God, crying to thee:

Rejoice, for thou becamest an imitator of Joshua the son of Nun, who crossed the river Jordan as on dry land; rejoice, thou who by thy word didst stay the flow of water; rejoice, for moved by mercy thou didst take upon thee a hard road; rejoice, for thou didst undo the slander and deliver the unjustly condemned man from a dark prison and from death; rejoice, thou who hastenest on the way of the good God; rejoice, guardian of the unjustly condemned; rejoice, changer of the order of the nature of water; rejoice, for thou didst bring the judge to his senses and deliver him from the sin of killing; rejoice, true enlightener of souls; rejoice, wondrous power that stilleth the flow of water; rejoice, thou who sweetenest the hearts of men who flee to thee; rejoice, imitator of Abraham who loved mankind; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

Thou wast a pilgrim and a stranger on the earth like all men, O hierarch Spyridon, and truly the All-seeing One showed thee from thy mother’s womb to be greatly pleasing to Him and a wonderworker: thou didst drive out demons, heal all sicknesses and wounds, and see the desires of men; and by these things thou didst appear wondrous among the saints; and we too, sending up a hymn to God the Benefactor of all, cry to Him: Alleluia.

The whole world was shaken with great awe when it heard that death, at thy words, giveth back the dead, and it cried:

Rejoice, thou who didst bring back to life thy departed daughter, to reveal the treasure entrusted to her; rejoice, thou who didst comfort the grieving widow who had entrusted her treasure; rejoice, for thou didst raise up the child that had died; rejoice, for thou didst bring back to life the mother who died of that unexpected joy; rejoice, for thou didst imitate Elijah, who by his prayer restored life to the son of the woman of Zarephath; rejoice, for thou didst imitate Elisha too, who delivered that child from death; rejoice, shepherd, fervent lover of all men; rejoice, thou who didst grant forgiveness of sins to the harlot who washed thy feet with her tears; rejoice, thou who didst gain the zeal of the holy head of the apostles; rejoice, for by thy word thou didst put to death with a painful sickness that unrepentant sinful woman; rejoice, thou who by thy prayers didst ask for the fruitfulness of the earth; rejoice, thou who didst assure men of the certainty of the resurrection; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

The radiance of the divine Spirit was sent down upon thee, O hierarch Spyridon, who hadst an all-wise soul, for by the wisdom of thy word thou didst lay hold of the unknowing and strengthen the faith among the fathers; by the spirit of understanding thou didst enlighten darkened minds, and by the spirit of the fear of God and by God-pleasing struggle thou didst cleanse thy soul too; and now, standing before the throne of the Most High, thou singest to Him with the choirs of angels: Alleluia.

From the Chief Shepherd of the rational sheep, the Lord Jesus, thou didst receive the shepherd’s staff, holy Spyridon, and without changing thy manner of life — in freedom from covetousness, in meekness and in enduring all things for love of God — thou didst bear without shame the care of those rational sheep; and we, moved by all this, glorify God and cry to thee:

Rejoice, thou who didst abhor earthly glory as vanity; rejoice, thou who leadest many up to the world above; rejoice, thou who didst count the beauty of this world as refuse; rejoice, treasury of heavenly good things; rejoice, most holy pasture of the Cypriots; rejoice, for those who stole thy sheep were bound by God with invisible fetters; rejoice, thou who with fatherly love didst bring the thieves to their senses; rejoice, thou who didst reward them for keeping watch over the sheep all night; rejoice, thou who by the disobedience of the goat, as though it had understanding, didst expose the merchant who hid the price; rejoice, thou who didst bring to repentance him who hid thy silver; rejoice, for by thy instruction thou didst quench his love of money; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

O hierarch Spyridon, deliverer of the souls of thy sheep entrusted to thee by God, by the will of God thou wast called to the showing forth of thy glory and still more of the glory of the true God, and even in the land of the heathen they glorify the name of God, singing thus: Alleluia.

Holy Spyridon, swift helper and intercessor of all in afflictions and sorrows, at the command of the emperor went with the other shepherds to Antioch, where the emperor Constantine was stricken with sickness; and when the hierarch touched his head, he wrought a swift healing upon him; and we, amazed at this wonder, sing to him:

Rejoice, thou who didst appear in sleep to the emperor as an angel of healing; rejoice, thou who with divine love didst take upon thee that hard road in thy old age; rejoice, thou who, according to the Lord’s commandment, didst turn the other cheek to the emperor’s servant who struck thy face; rejoice, pillar of humility; rejoice, thou who in thy prayers with the shedding of tears didst entreat the Lord for the healing of the emperor; rejoice, for by humbling thyself thou didst bring that servant to his senses and change his evil habit; rejoice, for thou didst instruct the emperor in compassion and godliness; rejoice, for, having gained the heavenly treasure, thou didst refuse the emperor’s gold; rejoice, for thou didst free thy disciple Tryphillius from the love of earthly goods and make him a vessel of divine grace; rejoice, for when thou camest to Alexandria the idols fell down; rejoice, for even the demons serve thee; rejoice, for thou didst deliver many from idolatry; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

Thou didst hear the singing of angels, O hierarch Spyridon, when thou didst offer thy evening prayers in the church and thy fellow-ministers were not there. And the people of that city, hearing the wondrous singing, came to the church, and when they saw no one, they sang with the powers on high: Alleluia.

Thou wast a companion of the angels and the dawn-bright sun of this world while thou wast on earth, O hierarch Spyridon; thou didst give thy soul into the hands of the Lord when thou didst pass to the heavenly abode, there to intercede for the whole world before the throne of the King; and we, citizens of this earth, cry to thee:

Rejoice, for even in this world angels served thee; rejoice, for thou didst hear the hymns of the archangels; rejoice, transfiguration of our visible image; rejoice, for in the time of the lack of oil the Lord filled all the vessels in the church; rejoice, lamp of divine light; rejoice, vessel of grace, who fillest thy soul abundantly as with oil; rejoice, unsearchable fountain that ever poureth forth the river of grace for all; rejoice, for the angels marvel at thee; rejoice, punisher of the disobedience of that deacon; rejoice, thou who for the pride of his words didst take away from him voice and speech; rejoice, for in the time of drought thy holy head was refreshed by unexpected dew from on high; rejoice, for by that sign thou didst foresee the time of thy going before God; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

Thou wast a shelter and a haven to all who fled to thee in the time of thy earthly life, O hierarch; leave us not orphans after thy departure either. God, overcoming the laws of nature, hath kept thy holy relics incorrupt for the strengthening of the Orthodox faith and of piety and as a sign of immortality; therefore we cry to His glory: Alleluia.

We sing to thee, O hierarch of God, for thou hast amazed the world by the wonders that spring from thy holy relics, and all who flee in faith to kiss them obtain the good fulfilment of their petitions. And we too, glorifying God, who gave thee steadfastness, adorned thee with the crown of incorruption and worketh through thee, sing to thee:

Rejoice, thou who in the time of famine didst appear to sailors and command them to take food; rejoice, thou who by the touching of thy holy relics didst give sight to the blind; rejoice, raiser of a child from an incurable sickness; rejoice, thou who didst drive a demon out of a woman and give her healing; rejoice, champion of Corfu; rejoice, thou who didst drive away the wicked Hagarenes and sink their ships in the deep; rejoice, thou who didst appear holding a sword in thy hands and fill the enemy with fear of thee; rejoice, punisher of the Latin commander with a cruel death; rejoice, thou who by lightning didst burn his image in the city of Venice; rejoice, crusher of the apostasy and false wisdom of the West; rejoice, strengthener of the true, saving and one Orthodox faith; Rejoice, Spyridon, all-wondrous wonderworker!

O surpassing wonderworker, hierarch of Christ, father Spyridon, receive this our present prayer and deliver us from all afflictions and assaults; strengthen this our fatherland against our enemies, grant us forgiveness of our sins, and deliver from eternal death all who sing to God through thee: Alleluia.

This kontakion is read thrice, and again Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1.

O great and all-wondrous hierarch of Christ and wonderworker Spyridon, boast of Corfu, all-radiant lampstand, fervent intercessor before God and swift mediator for all who fall down before thee with supplication! At the Council of Nicaea thou didst expound most gloriously among the fathers the Orthodox faith, didst show by wondrous power the oneness in essence of the Holy Trinity and didst for ever crush the teaching of the heretics. Hear the supplication of us sinners, O hierarch of Christ, and by thy all-powerful intercession before God deliver us from all evil circumstances: from famine, flood, fire and deadly plague. For in the time of thy earthly life thou didst deliver thy people from all afflictions: thou didst guard thy fatherland from the invasion of the Hagarenes and from famine, didst raise up the emperor from an incurable sickness and bring many sinners to repentance, didst raise the dead by the greatness and holiness of thy life, and at the time of service in the church thou hadst angels as fellow-ministers; in this way Christ the King glorified thee, His faithful servant, and granted thee understanding of all the secret deeds of men, and thou didst reprove the life of the unrighteous. Thou didst help many who were in poverty and want, in the time of famine thou didst feed the destitute abundantly, and many other wonders didst thou work by the Spirit of God who dwelt in thee; forsake us not either, O hierarch of Christ; remember us, thy children, before the throne of the Almighty, and entreat the Lord to grant us forgiveness of our many sins, to bestow on us a life untroubled and peaceful, to send us a blameless and peaceful end of our life, and to make us worthy of eternal blessedness and everlasting glory, that we may ever send up a hymn of glory and thanksgiving before the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O all-blessed hierarch Spyridon, well-pleasing to Christ and most glorious wonderworker, standing with the angels before the throne of God, look down with a merciful eye upon thy people, who entreat thy all-powerful help; entreat the compassion of the merciful God, that He may not judge us according to our iniquities, but deal with us according to His mercy; ask for us of Christ our God a peaceful and untroubled life, health of our souls and bodies, fruitfulness of the earth, and save all in abundance and prosperity; grant us strength that we may not turn to evil any good thing sent us by God, but use it for His glory and for the boast of thine intercession; deliver us who flee to God with unwavering faith from every drowning and slander of the devil; be a comforter of the sorrowful, a physician of the sick, a helper in assaults, a guardian of orphans, a nurturer of children, a strengthener of the aged, a guide on the way to travellers, a helmsman to seafarers, and be by thy all-powerful mediation an intercessor for us all who pray for salvation; that, guided and guarded by thy prayer, we may attain to that eternal peace and together with thee glorify God glorified in the Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

It is truly meet that we should magnify thee, O Theotokos, who art ever-blessed and all-immaculate and the Mother of our God. Thee, more honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the only Theotokos, we magnify in song.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, of our venerable and God-bearing fathers and of all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.