Canon

"For this reason I prefer the 'easy path' [to sanctification], that is, the way that leads through the meditation on the poetic canons of the saints. In these canons we will discover the means employed by the saints, the ascetics, and the martyrs."

- St. Porphyrios

The Canon, sometimes spelled Kanon, is one of the most intricate and rich of all of the forms of Orthodox Christian hymnography. They are sung during the service of Orthros as well as during Sunday Midnight Office and some Compline services. Kanons consist of various Odes, one through nine, with Ode Two often skipped in the composition, with each Ode having its own melody matching that of an Eirmos written to mirror a theme from one of the nine Biblical Odes.