The word liturgy is of Greek origin and is translated as a common cause or public service. In Ancient Athens, liturgy was called a monetary obligation, which at first voluntarily, and then forcibly, was borne by the rich citizens of the city. The money was collected for equipping warships, maintaining a choir in staging Greek tragedies and for educational institutions (gymnasiums). Starting from the 2nd century AD, the liturgy loses its original meaning and becomes the main element of Christian worship.
In the Orthodox Church, the Divine Liturgy (otherwise called Mass) is the most important service of the daily cycle. If Vespers and Matins are the recitation of prayers with chants, then the Liturgy is the culmination of the church service. It is always performed in the afternoon and is accompanied by reading chapters from the Bible, prayers and singing psalms. And it ends with the main Christian sacrament - communion (Eucharist). According to church legends, the order of the liturgy was established by Jesus Christ himself at the Last Supper. Now it is a ritual action that symbolically reflects the earthly life of Christ and enables believers to become participants in New Testament events, to feel the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary and his Resurrection, which is perceived as the cleansing and rebirth of their own soul. Since the 4th century AD, two types of liturgy have been strengthened in the Orthodox Church: the daily of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great, which is celebrated only 10 times a year. They differ from each other only in length. In the liturgy of Basil the Great, an extended version of prayers and hymns is used, therefore, it is longer in time. The liturgy always begins with a proskomedia or symbolic preparation of the Holy Gifts (bread - prosphora - red wine) and traditionally takes place behind closed doors in the altar. The priest changes his clothes and washes his hands, then on the altar he carves out pieces from five prosphora and fills a cup with wine. After that, he goes to the believers gathered in the church and the second stage of the action begins - the liturgy of the catechumens (or those who are ready to be baptized). This part is accompanied by the choral singing of psalms, the reading of the Gospel and the Apostle, and the recitation of litanies (prayer requests). This is followed by the liturgy of the faithful, which is the illumination of the Holy Gifts (the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ) and ends with the communion of the clergy and all believers. During the liturgy of the faithful, prayer petitions are also read and choral chants are sung. Until the 17th century, liturgical music was based on various chants, and from the end of the 17th century polyphony began to be used. Many famous Russian composers turned to church music in their work and created cycles of liturgical chants. The most famous liturgies of St. John Chrysostom PI. Tchaikovsky and S. V. Rachmaninov In the Catholic and Protestant churches, the Orthodox liturgy corresponds to the Mass. And since the 16th century, in Catholic literature on theology, the term "liturgy" refers to all church services and ceremonies.
