Cosmas the Melodist

Cosmas of Maiuma, also known as Cosmas the Melodist or Cosmas Hagiopolites, was an eighth-century Byzantine bishop and one of the most celebrated hymnographers of the Eastern Church. Probably born in Damascus (some sources say Jerusalem) and orphaned young, he was adopted into the household of Sergius, the father of John of Damascus, and raised as John's foster-brother. Both were educated by a learned monk of the same name, an elderly Calabrian who had been freed from captivity among the Saracens by John's father. The two brothers became monks at the Great Lavra of Mar Saba near Jerusalem, where Cosmas composed the elaborate liturgical chants known as canons that remain in Orthodox worship to this day. In 743 he was appointed Bishop of Maiuma, the port city adjacent to Gaza, a position he held until his death. Fourteen canons are attributed to him in Orthodox liturgical books — including those for the Nativity of Christ, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Lazarus Saturday, and Palm Sunday — placing him alongside John of Damascus as a defining voice of classical Byzantine hymnography.