ANDREW OF CRETE

ANDREW OF CRETE, bishop, St. (ca. 660–740). Tonsured monk at the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulcher) in Jerusalem in his youth and consecrated bishop in Crete ca. 700, Andrew is best known for his penitential “Great Canon,” a long meditation on the Scriptures (q.v.) in poetic form, which is still read in Orthodox churches during Great Lent (q.v.). This work set the standard for a new and eventually dominant style of liturgical composition, the canon, to be further developed by Joh n of Damascus (q.v.), a younger contemporary of Andrew’s from his native city. Cosmas the Hymnographer, Theodore of Studion (qq.v.), Joseph of Studion, and Kassia the nun also contributed to the musical genre canon. (See Music.)