During the course of the
Divine Liturgy (Eucharist), there are two entrances. Both of the Entrances, as well as the ritual of the
Liturgy of Preparation, are viewed by liturgical scholars as later additions to the Liturgy, and may not have been used by Saints
Basil the Great or
John Chrysostom, the authors of the most commonly used forms of the Divine Liturgy.
Little Entrance The Little Entrance occurs during the portion of the service known as the
Liturgy of the Catechumens, in preparation for the scriptural readings. The
priest takes the
Gospel Book from the
Holy Table (altar), and hands it to the
deacon (if there is no deacon, he carries the Gospel Book himself.) They go counterclockwise around the Holy Table and out the North Door of the
Iconostasis, and come to stop in front of the
Holy Doors, while the priest prays silently the Prayer of the Entrance: O Master, Lord our God, Who hast appointed in heaven ranks and hosts of
Angels and
Archangels for the ministry of Thy glory: Cause that with our entrance may enter also the holy Angels with us serving Thee, and with us glorifying Thy goodness. For unto Thee are due all glory, honour and worship, to the
Father, and to the
Son, and to the
Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. ,
Düsseldorf,
Germany). The deacon presents the Gospel Book for the priest to kiss (if the bishop is present, it is presented to him instead) The deacon then points to the Holy Doors with his
orarion, and bowing says to the priest, "Bless, Master, the holy entrance." The priest blesses with his hand and says, "Blessed is the entrance of Thy holy ones, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages." When the choir finishes singing the Third
Antiphon (usually the
Beatitudes), the deacon (or priest) lifts up the Gospel Book and says, "Wisdom! Let us attend!" (if it is a
Great Feast of the Lord, he first says a special entrance verse, usually taken from the
Psalms) The choir then sings the Entrance Hymn: "Come let us worship and fall down before Christ! O Son of God, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia!" and the
Troparia and
Kontakia of the day. Meanwhile, the deacon and priest go in through the Holy Doors, the deacon replaces the Gospel Book on the Holy Table, and both he and the priest kiss the Holy Table. The priest silently says the Prayer of the Trisagion. This entrance is quite elaborate when the
bishop is present and a
Hierarchical Divine Liturgy is being served, since it is at this time that the bishop himself also enters the sanctuary for the first time. Until that point he has been standing upon the episcopal
kathedra (
ambo) in the center of the church. Also, when a bishop is to be
consecrated, the rite takes place at the Little Entrance. This is also the point in the Liturgy when the bishop will bestow ecclesiastical awards and honours. After the troparia and kontakia, the choir begins the
Trisagion: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us!" The chanting of the Trisagion at the Little Entrance is said to have been miraculously revealed to
St. Proclus,
Patriarch of Constantinople (434 -447). On certain
Great Feasts of the
church year, the Trisagion is replaced by another hymn, taken from "As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ! Alleluia!" On
Feasts of the Cross, the Trisagion is replaced by the hymn, "Before Thy Cross, we bow down in worship, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection we glorify!" During the Trisagion, or its alternate hymn, the priest and deacon go to the High Place (seats for the bishop and priests to the east of the Holy Table) to prepare for the reading of the
Epistle and
Gospel. The Little Entrance symbolizes the
Incarnation of Christ and his
baptism in the
Jordan River: the deacon representing
John the Baptist, and the priest representing Christ. Because the first coming of Christ was in humility, the priest is instructed in the
rubrics to make the entrance with his hands at his side.
Great Entrance The Great Entrance occurs at a later point during the Divine Liturgy, near the beginning of the
Liturgy of the Faithful, when the Gifts (bread and wine) to be offered are carried from the
Chapel of Prothesis (a table on the north side of the sanctuary sometimes occupying its own
apse), to be placed on the Holy Table. This entrance is made during the chanting of the
Cherubic Hymn The
Cherubikon that accompanies the Great Entrance was apparently added by the Emperor
Justin II (565 - 578) However, the Divine Liturgies celebrated on
Holy Thursday and
Holy Saturday have their own unique Cherubic Hymns. When the Choir begins the Cherubic Hymn, the deacon begins a
censing of the sanctuary,
iconostasis, clergy and faithful while the priest prays a long silent prayer known as the "Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn". After the prayer and the censing are finished, the priest and deacon make three
metanias (bows) in front of the Holy Table, raise their hands, and say the Cherubic Hymn three times (the priest saying the first half and the deacon(s) saying the second half), each recitation followed by another metania. They then kiss the Holy Table, and bow to each other. The deacon goes behind the Holy Table to the Table of Oblation (
Prothesis) and the priest comes out of the
Holy Doors to bow to the people, asking their forgiveness. He then goes to the prothesis, censes the offering, and places the
Aër (a large veil which covers the
diskos and
chalice) on the deacon's left shoulder—if there is no deacon, he places the veil over his own back so that it makes a cape covering his shoulders—and gives the diskos (paten) to the deacon, while he carries the chalice. The deacon, still holding the censer, raises the diskos so that it is at the level of his brow. The procession forms with
servers (acolytes) holding candles and (depending upon the jurisdiction)
ceremonial fans. ical Divine Liturgy. In the center the
protodeacon with the
diskos is kneeling in front of the bishop. As soon as the choir finishes the first half of the Cherubic Hymn the procession goes out the North Door, into the nave and halts in front of the
Holy Doors. During the procession, the deacon and priest make a series of intercessions formulated according to local custom. During the last intercession, the priest blesses the faithful with the chalice. The choir sings, "Amen." and chants the second half of the Cherubic Hymn, during which the clergy enter the sanctuary through the Holy Doors and place the gifts on the Holy Table. The priest removes the smaller veils from the diskos and chalice and censes the gifts, saying special prayers together with the deacon The Great Entrance symbolizes the triumphal entry of Christ into
Jerusalem on
Palm Sunday. ==Vespers==