POLYELEOS: PSALM 135 (Tone V) - Monks of Simono Petra Monastery

<p id="eow-description" class="">Published by Annunciation Orthodox Church of Manila
POLYELEOS (Exomologisthe Tou Kyriou) - PSALM 135 (Psalm 136 in KJV Bible) Tone V as chanted by the Greek Orthodox Monks of Simono Petra Monastery at Holy Mount Athos, Greece. Greek transliteration of lyrics to Latin alphabet by Nikolaos Andreas of the Annunciation Orthodox Church of Manila, Philippines.

The POLYELEOS 'Exomologiste Tou Kyrio' (Give Thanks to the Lord) is a hymn of praise to God consisting of verses from Psalm 135, with added refrains. The refrain after each verse of Psalm is "Alleluia! For his MERCY endures forever, Alleluia!"

The name Polyeleos comes from the Greek words for "much mercy", from the repeated mention of mercy in the refrain. In some churches, the lamps are lit around this point in Matins, which may have influenced the name of the hymn: in Greek, Polyeleos also means "much oil." In Slavonic, the hymn is called Polijelej.

Psalm 134 and Psalm 135 constitute the third reading of the Psalter at Matins on Great Feasts and certain Sundays (in some places, on all Sundays), and on all other Vigil or Polyeleos-rank feasts.

On the three Sundays which immediately precede Great Lent, Psalm 136 (Psalm 137 KJV) "By the waters of Babylon..." is added to the other two Psalms.

In parish practice, the Psalms are usually abbreviated. This is one of the most festive moments of a Vigil, when the Royal Doors are opened, and the clergy come out of the altar and cense the entire church.

In recent years, the Simonopetra Monastery has become world-renowned for its high-quality recordings of traditional Byzantine chant in Greek and has a growing discography.

Simonopetra Monastery or Simonos Petra (Greek: Σιμωνόπετρα or Σίμωνος Πέτρα) is one of the many monasteries that occupy the peninsula commonly called Mount Athos. It is dedicated to the Nativity of Christ. It is ranked thirteenth in the hierarchical order of the Mount Athos monasteries located on the peninsula.

While the origins of a monastery founded by Blessed Simon the Myrrh-flowing that may have been the beginnings of the existing monastery are clouded in the mists of time, the recorded establishment of the present monastery around 1368 is credited to the Serbian prince Ioannis (Joan, Jovan) Uglješa.</p>