Orthros (Matins)

The Church's prayer at daybreak, the longest of the daily services.

Orthros, also called Matins, is the Orthodox Church's morning service of prayer. The Greek word means "early dawn" or "daybreak". It is the longest service of the daily cycle. It includes the Six Psalms and a canon of hymns, and on Sundays and feasts a Gospel reading and the Great Doxology. Greek parishes serve it before the Sunday Liturgy; Russian parishes, the evening before.

Orthros is the service with which the Church greets the day. Its name is the Greek word for early dawn, and its prayers move from the dark toward the light: it begins with the Six Psalms, read in quiet, and on Sundays and feasts it ends in praise, with the Great Doxology, "Glory to God in the highest".

In between lie the psalms, litanies, and hymns that change with the day and the season, drawn from the Church's books of the week and of the saints. At its heart stands the canon, a long hymn in odes, and on Sundays the reading of one of the Gospels of the Resurrection. Served in full it is long; in parish use it is usually shortened.

Orthros is not the Liturgy. It is a service of prayer and praise, with no Eucharist. When it is served differs by tradition. In Greek parish practice it is served on Sunday and feast-day mornings, straight before the Divine Liturgy. In the Russian tradition it is part of the All-Night Vigil, served on Saturday evening and on the eve of great feasts.

Questions about Orthros (Matins)

What is the difference between Orthros and the Divine Liturgy?

Orthros is a service of prayer and praise with psalms, hymns, and readings. The Divine Liturgy is the Eucharist, at which the faithful receive Holy Communion. In Greek parishes Orthros is served straight before the Sunday Liturgy; in the Russian tradition it is served the evening before, at the All-Night Vigil.

What happens during Orthros?

It opens with the Six Psalms. Then come litanies, psalms, and hymns of the day, and the canon, and on Sundays and feasts a Gospel reading and the Great Doxology.

Is Orthros the same as Matins?

Yes. Orthros is the Greek name and Matins the usual English one, for the same morning service.

How long is Orthros?

It varies widely. Served in full, Sunday Orthros can last for hours, but parishes usually shorten it a great deal. Ask your parish when it begins.

More questions about the Orthodox Church, answered ›

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Luke 2:14, the opening of the Great Doxology (King James Version, public domain)

In Orthros

Orthros, the app, takes its name from this service of daybreak. It carries the prayers for keeping the day at home, morning and evening, with akathists, canons, and the Hours, each with its source shown.