Archon Domestikoi of the Great Church of Christ

The rank of the Second Domestikos is the lowest rank, the first step of the Patriarchal choirs, which will later evolve successively by being promoted to First Domestikos, Lambadarios and Protopsaltes (Archcantor).

That is why this position is usually taken by young men known for their voice quality and their endurance. One such uoung man who ascends into the Patriarchal choirs finds everything unfamiliar. He stares at the performance of the music and sees that it is not quite like he had learned it from his external teachers, or how he sung it in the parish churches. There the music was different. Here he stands amazed by the Byzantine Ecclesiastical Music he listens from the Patriarchal cantors. He marvels at the wondrous way in which they chant. He becomes enthrilled with the music that he previously ignored. He rejoices from his superiors and dreams about the future.

Finally, in the following table, there is a list with all the Domestikoi of the Patriarchal Church in the 20th century.

First Domestikoi

Second Domestikoi

Troparia from the Ode IX of the Canon of the Mother of God

Mode IV.

Στῶμεν εὐλαβῶς ἐν οἴκῳ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ ἐκβοήσωμεν· Χαῖρε κόσμου Δέσποινα· χαῖρε Μαρία, Κυρία πάντων ἡμῶν· χαῖρε ἡ μόνη ἄμωμος ἐν γυναιξὶ καὶ καλή· χαῖρε, σκεῦος, μύρον τὸ ἀκένωτον ἐπὶ σὲ κενωθὲν εἰσδεξάμενον.

Δόξα...

Ἡ περιστερά, ἡ τὸν ἐλεήμονα ἀποκυήσασα, χαῖρε, ἀειπάρθενε, ὁσίων πάντων, χαῖρε τὸ καύχημα, τῶν Ἀθλητῶν στεφάνωμα, χαῖρε, ἁπάντων τε τῶν δικαίων θεῖον ἐγκαλλώπισμα, καὶ ἡμῶν τῶν πιστῶν τὸ διάσωσμα.

Καὶ νῦν...

Φεῖσαι ὁ Θεός τῆς κληρονομίας σου, τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, πάσας παραβλέπων νῦν, εἰς τοῦτο ἔχων, ἐκδυσωποῦσάν σε, τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀσπόρως σε κυοφορήσασαν, διὰ μέγα ἔλεος θελήσαντα, μορφωθῆναι, Χριστέ, τὸ ἀλλότριον.

Chanted by the Archon Domestikoi of the Great Church of Christ
Phanar - March 1991
[ 2´ 02´´]