Akathist
An Akathist is a devotional hymn or service composed of alternating sections called kontakia and ikoi.
Eastern Orthodox Christian Glossary
Plain-language definitions of common Eastern Orthodox terms.
Antidoron
Antidoron is blessed bread distributed at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy in many Orthodox parishes.
Antimension (Antimins)
The antimension is a consecrated cloth placed on the altar and unfolded for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
Baptism
Baptism is the Holy Mystery in which a person is united to the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ through water and the invocation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Burial Shroud (Plashchanitsa or Epitaphios)
The Burial Shroud is a cloth icon depicting the body of Jesus Christ after He has been taken down from the Cross and placed in the tomb.
Byzantine Icon
A Byzantine icon is an icon shaped by the artistic and theological inheritance of the Eastern Roman Christian world and the Orthodox cultures that continued that tradition.
Catechumen
A catechumen is a person formally preparing to enter the Orthodox Church.
Censer
A censer is the vessel in which incense is burned during Orthodox worship.
Chrismation
Chrismation is the Holy Mystery in which a newly baptized or newly received Orthodox Christian is anointed with holy chrism and sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Christ Pantocrator
Christ Pantocrator is an iconographic image of Jesus Christ as the Almighty or “Ruler of All.” Christ is commonly shown blessing with one hand and holding an open or closed Gospel book in the other.
Divine Liturgy
The Divine Liturgy is the principal Eucharistic service of the Orthodox Church.
Eucharist or Holy Communion
The Eucharist is the Holy Mystery in which bread and wine are consecrated and received as the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Fasting and Fasting Season
Fasting is a spiritual discipline combining abstinence from certain foods with prayer, repentance, generosity, and self-control.
Feast Day
A feast day is a day on which the Church celebrates Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, a saint, or a sacred event.
Godparent or Sponsor
A godparent or sponsor is an Orthodox Christian who assists another person’s entrance into the Church at Baptism or Chrismation.
Great Lent
Great Lent is the principal forty-day season of repentance and preparation in the Orthodox Church.
Holy Mystery or Sacrament
A Holy Mystery is an action of the Church through which God communicates His grace using visible elements such as water, oil, bread, and wine.
Holy Week
Holy Week is the final period of preparation before Pascha, centered on the Passion, Crucifixion, burial, and victory of Jesus Christ.
Icon
An icon is a sacred image of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, a saint, an angel, or an event from Scripture or Church history.
Icon Corner
An icon corner is a place in an Orthodox home set aside for regular prayer.
Iconography
Iconography is the Church’s tradition of expressing the Christian faith through sacred images.
Iconostasis
The iconostasis is the screen or wall of icons between the nave and the sanctuary.
Incense
Incense is an aromatic substance burned during Orthodox worship as an offering to God and a symbol of prayer rising toward heaven.
Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer is a short prayer invoking the name of Jesus Christ and asking for His mercy.
Liturgical Calendar
The liturgical calendar organizes the Church year through feasts, fasts, saints’ commemorations, and appointed Scripture readings.
Monastery
A monastery is a community in which monks or nuns live a shared life devoted to prayer, repentance, work, hospitality, and obedience under spiritual leadership.
Monastery-Made
“Monastery-made” describes a product genuinely produced by monastics or under the direct responsibility of a monastery.
Mother of God (Theotokos)
The Mother of God is the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
Name Day
A name day is the feast day of the saint whose name an Orthodox Christian bears.
Narthex
The narthex is the entrance or vestibule of an Orthodox church.
Nave
The nave is the main part of a church where the congregation gathers for worship.
Orthodox Christian
An Orthodox Christian is a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the communion of local churches united in the apostolic faith, sacramental life, and worship of the ancient Church.
Parish
A parish is a local Orthodox Christian community under the pastoral care of a priest and the authority of a bishop.
Parish Fundraiser
A parish fundraiser is an organized sale, campaign, or event intended to provide financial support to an Orthodox parish or one of its ministries.
Pascha
Pascha is the Orthodox celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the central feast of the Church year.
Patron Saint
A patron saint is a saint received as a particular heavenly intercessor for a person, parish, profession, place, or activity.
Prayer Rope (Chotki)
A prayer rope is a knotted cord used to support attentive repetition of the Jesus Prayer or other short prayers.
Proskomedia
The Proskomedia is the service in which the priest prepares the bread and wine before the public portion of the Divine Liturgy.
Prosphora
Prosphora is leavened bread offered for use in the Divine Liturgy.
Prosphora Seal
A prosphora seal is a carved stamp pressed into the bread before it is baked.
Relic
A relic is the bodily remains of a saint or an object closely associated with a saint.
Royal Doors
The Royal Doors are the central doors of the iconostasis, opening toward the altar table.
Saint
A saint is a person whom the Church recognizes as having lived faithfully in communion with God.
Veneration
Veneration is the reverent honor shown to saints, icons, relics, the Cross, and other holy things.
Vigil Lamp
A vigil lamp is a small lamp kept burning before an icon, shrine, or altar.