Byzantine Liturgy: Athos Tradition of Byzantine Chant

The Byzantine Choir of the Nikolo-Malitsky Monastery was created by the efforts of Abbot Boris (Tulupov), who gathered singers who studied Byzantine singing in Greece. Some of them have lived on Mount Athos for a long time and have absorbed the tradition of the Holy Mountain worship. The choir performs chants in Slavic and Ancient Greek.

The choir takes its name from one of the most revered images of the Most Holy Theotokos in the entire Orthodox world – “It is Worthy to Eat” (Greek. “Axion Estin”), which is located in the capital of Athos, in the ancient temple of Protat. In front of this icon, in the 10th century, the hymn “Worthy to Eat” was performed for the first time after the miraculous appearance of the Archangel Gabriel. Since then, this hymn has become part of the main hymns of Orthodox worship and is sung at every Liturgy around the world.

The mission of the choir is to carry the Athos tradition of Byzantine singing, thereby complementing the general charter of the Nikolo-Malitsky Monastery. Currently, the choir works in the monastery, and also participates in divine services.

Byzantine Choir of the Nikolaevsky Makisky Monastery
Vsevolod Babitsky, Artistic Director