Here is a gift from me: Agni Parthene

This interpretation of a hymn is specific to my culture.

Although the subject is religious, the melody is not part of the canonical ritual.

However, that does not mean the melody is not included among other hymns.

It is about a Greek Byzantine hymn composed by Saint Nektarios of Aegina.

The history of this hymn

The man who was later named Saint Nektarios was a bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

During his episcopate, he spent much time in prayer and contemplation and dedicated himself to the monastic life.

His spiritual lifestyle and profound devotion to the Virgin Mary inspired him to write a wide variety of religious poems. Most of these were published both during his lifetime and after his repose in 1920.

One of the many poems he wrote is “Agni Parthene” or “O Pure Virgin.”

According to a tradition passed down on the island of Aegina, Saint Nektarios composed the text of this poem after he had a vision of the Mother of God in a dream, in which she asked him to write this poem. The original manuscript can still be seen on his prayer table in his bedroom at this monastery.