Romano the Meloda

Biography

He is called the "Pindar of rhythmic poetry" for the great beauty of his sacred songs.

He was born in Syria, in the city of Emesa, at the end of the 5th century. He worked as a deacon in Beirut and then moved to Constantinople. Tradition says that he did not have a great voice or fame at the beginning, but he received a divine gift for poetry after a vision of the Virgin Mary. He wrote many hymns and religious songs for Christian holidays. His texts mix deep theology with a very joyful poetic style that is close to the people.

During the reign of Emperor Anastasius I, Romano served in the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Constantinople. Although he had a pious heart, he lacked talent for singing and declamation, which earned him ridicule from other more educated clerics.

During Christmas Eve, after feeling deeply humiliated by his companions, Romano burst into tears and prayed fervently before the icon of the Virgin Mary until he fell asleep. In a dream, the Mother of God appeared to him holding a small scroll of paper, called a kontakion, and ordered him: "Take this scroll and eat it."

Upon waking up on Christmas morning, Romano felt his soul filled with divine wisdom and a prodigious voice. He climbed the ambo of the temple and, to the astonishment of the entire court and the patriarch, he improvised by singing the hymn: "Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent...". This event marked the birth of his legacy as the greatest hymnographer of his time.