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Megalynarion

A magnification verse — the short hymn honoring the Theotokos sung during the canon at Orthros.

A megalynarion (from megalyno, to magnify — the Magnificat) is a brief liturgical verse honoring the Theotokos, typically beginning with 'More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim...' This verse is sung during the ninth ode of the canon at Orthros, replacing the regular heimos — an unusual interruption of the standard canon structure to honor the Theotokos as the ultimate fulfillment of the Ode of Mary (the Magnificat, which is the biblical canticle of the ninth ode).

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