The Akathist Hymn is a poetic masterpiece written by Saint Romanos the Melodist in the 6th century. In the Byzantine Orthodox tradition (Greek, Antiochian, Romanian), on the first four Friday evenings of Lent a portion of the Akathist is read along with the service of Small Compline. The service is also known as the “Salutations”, as each verse of the Akathist begins with the “Hail!” of the Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:28).