Cosmas of Maiuma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Cosmas of Maiuma |
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| Hagiopolites | |
| Born | 8th century Damascus |
| Died | 8th century Maiuma, Gaza |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches |
| Feast | October 14 |
| Attributes | Vested as a bishop, or as a monk, holding a scroll with the words of one of his hymns |
| Patronage | Hymnographers |
Saint Cosmas of Maiuma was an important religious leader and a talented writer of hymns (religious songs) in the East. He is also known by other names like Cosmas Hagiopolites ("of the Holy City"), Cosmas of Jerusalem, Cosmas the Melodist, or Cosmas the Poet. He is honored as a saint by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. He passed away around 773 or 794 AD.
Contents
His Early Life
Saint Cosmas (whose name in Greek is Κοσμάς) was likely born in Damascus. Sadly, he became an orphan when he was very young.
He was adopted by Sergius, who was the father of another famous saint, Saint John of Damascus. This made Cosmas and John like foster-brothers.
The two boys had a special teacher, an older monk also named Cosmas. This monk had been freed from slavery by Saint John's father.
Becoming a Monk and Bishop
Later, John and Cosmas moved from Damascus to Jerusalem. There, they both became monks at the Saint Sabbas monastery, which was near the city.
They worked together to protect the Church against a belief called iconoclasm. This belief was against using religious images (icons) in worship.
In 743, Cosmas left the monastery. He was appointed as the Bishop of Maiuma, which was a port city near ancient Gaza. He lived many years longer than Saint John and passed away at a very old age.
His Amazing Works
Saint Cosmas was a skilled writer. He wrote explanations, called scholia, about the poems of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus.
He is highly respected as a poet and hymn writer. Saint Cosmas and Saint John of Damascus are considered the best writers of Greek hymnography (religious songs) from their time.
They are famous for their artistic church songs known as "canons". They also worked together to develop the Octoechos, which is a book of church hymns.
His Famous Hymns
Saint Cosmas has been called "a vessel of divine grace" and "the glory of the Church." He wrote many important canons for church services.
Some of his well-known works include canons for Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday. He also wrote special canons for Holy Week, which is the week before Easter.
One of his most famous works is the "Canon for Christmas Day". This hymn is based on a Christmas sermon by Saint Gregory the Theologian.
Overall, about fourteen canons are believed to have been written by him. His most famous song is "More honourable than the cherubim…", which is sung regularly in Orthodox church services.
His Legacy
The hymns written by Saint Cosmas were first used in the Church of Jerusalem. However, they became popular everywhere in the Orthodox Church because of the influence of Constantinople.
It's not always certain if every hymn credited to Cosmas was truly his. This is because his teacher, who had the same name, was also a hymn writer.
The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates his feast day on October 12 (which is October 25 on the Gregorian calendar). In the Greek Church, his feast day is on October 14 (October 27 on the Gregorian calendar).
See also
In Spanish: Cosmas de Maiuma para niños
