Romanus Melodus
Romanos Melodos
Biography
Romanos, the famous hymnographer, was born towards the end of the 5th century (493?) in Emesa to a family of Jewish origin. He was a deacon in Beirut, before settling in Constantinople during the reign of Anastasius I (491-518); it was there, in the church of the Theotokos, that the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to him in a dream and given him the poetic talent that would establish his reputation as a composer of kontakia (a kind of homily in verse). It seems that he died between 555 and 565. He is the greatest poet of the early Byzantine period.
Works
| Birth date |
? (Emèse)
en Syrie |
|---|---|
| Death date | ? (Constantinople) |
| Activity | Constantinople |
| Group of authors | Greece, Minor Asia (including Constantinople), Liturgy (Greek Area) |