According to legend, the Virgin appeared one Christmas Eve to an artless young man standing in one of Constantinople's most famous Marian shrines. She offered h

Young Romanos is devoted to Christ and His Mother and longs to be able to sing his praises to them. But when he tries, his voice croaks and the words won't come

This book studies Romanos' lively and dramatic hymns, highlighting especially the relationship between theological themes and performative rhetoric.