In Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches, an entrance is a procession during which the clergy enter into the sanctuary through the Holy Doors. The origin of these entrances goes back to the early church, when the liturgical books and sacred vessels were kept in special storage rooms for safe keeping and the procession was necessary to bring these objects into the church when needed. Over the centuries, these processions have grown more elaborate, and nowadays are accompanied by incense, candles and liturgical fans. In the liturgical theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the angels are believed to enter with the clergy into the sanctuary, as evidenced by the prayers which accompany the various entrances.
Orthodox subdeacon and priest making the Great Entrance during the Divine Liturgy.
The Little Entrance during the Divine Liturgy (Church of the Protection of the Theotokos, Düsseldorf, Germany).
Orthodox priest and deacons praying the Cherubic Hymn at the beginning of the Great Entrance.
Great Entrance at an outdoor hierarchical Divine Liturgy. In the center the protodeacon with the diskos is kneeling in front of the bishop.
The Cherubikon is the usual Cherubic Hymn sung at the Great Entrance of the Byzantine liturgy.
Latin cherubikon (early 11th century) added to a 10th-century anthology dedicated to Boethius (GB-Lbl Ms. Harley 3095, f. 111v).
Beginning of the cherubikon asmatikon in echos plagios devteros with medial enechema Νεανες of echos devteros, Akolouthiai manuscript about 1400 (A-Wn Theol. gr. 185, f. 255v)
Manuel Chrysaphes' cherubikon in the papadic echos protos, transcribed according to Panagiotes the New Chrysaphes (GB-Lbl Ms. Harley 5544, f. 131v)