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a previously crowned emperor, taking the crown along with the patriarch, they place it on the head of the new emperor, and the patriarch exclaims: Worthy. And those on the ambo taking it up in turn, say it a third time, both they and all the people, in the same way as at the anointing. Then the patriarch says prayers again, and the emperor descends from the ambo, not from the side from which he ascended, but from the one turned towards the solea. If then it should happen that the emperor does not have a wife at that time, immediately ascending the steps, 1.199 he sits on the throne again; but if he does have one, then there is every necessity for her also to be crowned. Therefore, as she rises from her throne, two of his closest blood-relatives, taking her on either side, or if he does not have close blood-relatives, then that many eunuchs both lead her down from the steps and bringing her, they stand her before the solea. And the emperor, descending, taking the crown prepared for her, held by certain blood-relatives or eunuchs, he himself places it on his wife’s head; and she does obeisance to her husband and emperor, acknowledging her subjection. And the patriarch, he too standing by the solea, says a prayer for the emperor and empress and for all their subjects. Thus then the emperor also crowns his own wife. But if it happens that the emperor has been previously crowned, at the marriage ceremony the emperor likewise crowns his own wife. Then both of them again ascending the steps, sit upon their thrones, while the rest of the liturgy is being celebrated. However, when the Trisagion is being sung, or the apostolic writings or the divine oracles are being read, they also stand. And from either side of the church, on wooden platforms made for this very purpose, the protopsaltes, also called domestikoi, standing, and others of the ecclesiastical order who know how to sing, whom it is the custom to call kraktai at such a ceremony, sing certain melodies specially composed, fitting for the festival. And when the Great 1.200 Entrance, as it is called, in the sacred liturgy is already beginning, the most distinguished deacons of the church, coming, summon the emperor; and he goes to the so-called prothesis, where the holy gifts are laid, he goes with them. And standing outside the prothesis, he puts on a golden mandyas over his diadem and purple robe. And in his right hand he holds a cross, which it is the custom to hold for as long as he wears the crown, and in his left they bring and place a narthex, so that he holds the ecclesiastical rank of the so-called depotatos; holding these in both hands, he leads the entire holy procession. And on either of his sides, both the axe-bearing men called Varangians, and about a hundred young men of the nobility, splendidly armed, accompany him, or even unarmed; and directly after him, the deacons in order follow and the priests, carrying the sacred furnishings and vessels and the most holy gifts themselves. And having gone around the church according to custom, when they are at the solea, all the others stand outside, but he alone, entering the solea, finds the patriarch standing at the holy gates. And having greeted each other, the patriarch on the inside and the emperor on the outside wait standing; and immediately the deacon leading the others after the emperor, holding a censer in his right hand and in the other the so-called 1.201 maphorion of the patriarch, passing by, censes the emperor; and when he has bowed his head, the deacon says in the hearing of all: "May the Lord God remember the power of your majesty in His kingdom, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages," adding also the "Amen." And in order the rest of the deacons and priests, passing by, say the same. And when this has been completed, the emperor, having greeted the patriarch, takes off the mandyas. and the referendarius of the church carries it away, for such is the custom; but the emperor, ascending the steps, sits on the throne again, while the creed of faith and the prayer of the Our Father are being said, and the elevation of the... is taking place.

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προεστεμμένος βασιλεὺς, ἅμα τῷ πατριάρχῃ τὸ στέμμα λαβόντες, ἐπιτιθέασι τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως, καὶ ἐκφωνεῖ ὁ πατριάρχης· ἄξιος. διαδεχόμενοι δὲ οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἄμβωνος, ἐκ τρίτου λέγουσιν αὐτοί τε καὶ πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος ὃν τρόπον ἐπὶ τοῦ μύρου. εἶτα ἐπιλέγει πάλιν ὁ πατριάρχης εὐχὰς, καὶ κατέρχεται τοῦ ἄμβωνος ὁ βασιλεὺς, οὐκ ἐξ οὗπερ ἀνῆλθε μέρους, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν σωλέαν τετραμμένου. εἰ μὲν οὖν συμβῇ μὴ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἔχειν γυναῖκα τὸν βασιλέα, εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀναβάθραν ἀνιὼν, 1.199 ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καθίζει πάλιν· εἰ δ' ἔχει, τότε καὶ αὐτὴν ἀνάγκη στεφθῆναι πᾶσα. διὸ καὶ ἐξανισταμένην τοῦ θρόνου, δύο τῶν γνησιωτάτων ἑκατέρωθεν λαβόμενοι συγγενῶν, ἢ εἰ μὴ γνησίους ἔχοι, ἐκτομίαι τοσοῦτοι τῆς ἀναβάθρας τε κατάγουσι καὶ φέροντες ἱστῶσι πρὸ τοῦ σωλέου. κατερχόμενος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς, τὸ δι' αὐτὴν ηὐτρεπισμένον στέμμα λαμβάνων ὑπὸ γνησίων τινῶν ἢ ἐκτομιῶν κατεχόμενον, καὶ αὐτὸ ἐπιτίθησι τῇ κεφαλῇ τῆς γυναικός· ἡ δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ βασιλέα προσκυνεῖ, δουλείαν ὁμολογοῦσα. ὁ πατριάρχης δὲ παρὰ τὸν σωλέαν ἱστάμενος καὶ αὐτὸς, ἐπιλέγει εὐχὴν ὑπέρ τε τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ βασιλίδος καὶ τοῦ ὑπηκόου παντός. οὕτω μὲν οὖν καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν ἰδίαν γυναῖκα στέφει. εἰ δὲ συμβῇ προεστεμμένον εἶναι τὸν βασιλέα, ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν γάμων τελετῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν ἰδίαν ὡσαύτως στέφει γυναῖκα. αὖθις δὲ ἀμφότεροι ἐπὶ τὴν ἀναβάθραν ἀνερχόμενοι, κάθηνται ἐπὶ τῶν θρόνων, τῆς ἄλλης μυσταγωγίας τελουμένης. ᾀδομένου μέντοι τοῦ τρισαγίου ἢ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν γραφῶν ἢ τῶν θείων λογίων ἀναγινωσκομένων, ἀνίστανται καὶ αὐτοί. ἐξ ἑκατέρων δὲ τῶν τοῦ ναοῦ μερῶν ἐπὶ ξυλίνων ἀναβαθρῶν εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο πεποιημένων οἱ πρωτοψάλται ἱστάμενοι καὶ δομέστικοι λεγόμενοι, καὶ ἕτεροι τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς τάξεως ᾄδειν εἰδότες, οὓς ἐπὶ τῆς τοιαύτης τελετῆς κράκτας ἔθος ὀνομάζειν ἐστὶ, μέλη τινὰ ᾄδουσιν ἐξεπίτηδες συντεθειμένα ἁρμόζοντα τῇ ἑορτῇ. τῆς μεγάλης δὲ 1.200 εἰσόδου ἐπὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς μυσταγωγίας λεγομένης ἤδη ἀρχομένης, οἱ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐπιφανέστεροι τῶν διακόνων ἐρχόμενοι προσκαλοῦνται τὸν βασιλέα· ὁ δὲ εἰς τὴν λεγομένην πρόθεσιν, ἔνθα τὰ ἅγια κεῖται, ἔρχεται μετ' αὐτῶν. ἔξω δὲ ἱστάμενος τῆς προθέσεως, περιβάλλεται μανδύαν χρυσοῦν ἐπὶ τὸ διάδημα καὶ τὴν πορφύραν. καὶ τῇ μὲν δεξιᾷ χειρὶ κατέχει σταυρὸν, ὃν ἔθος κατέχειν ὅσον ἂν χρόνον τὸ στέμμα φορῇ, τῇ δὲ λαιᾷ νάρθηκα φέροντες ἐγχειρίζουσιν, ὥστε τάξιν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν τὴν τοῦ δεποτάτου λεγομένου ἐπέχειν· ἃ ἀμφοτέραις ἔχων, τῆς εἰσόδου πάσης ἡγεῖται τῆς ἱερᾶς. ἐξ ἑκατέρων δὲ αὐτοῦ μερῶν κατὰ τὰ πλάγια οἵ τε τοὺς πελέκεις ἔχοντες Βάραγγοι προσαγορευόμενοι, καὶ νέοι τῶν εὐπατριδῶν περὶ ἑκατὸν ὡπλισμένοι διαπρεπῶς παρέπονται ἢ καὶ ἄνοπλοι· κατ' εὐθεῖαν δὲ μετ' αὐτὸν οἵ τε διάκονοι ἐφεξῆς ἕπονται καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς, ἔπιπλά τε καὶ σκεύη τῶν ἱερῶν καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ἁγιώτατα ἐπιφερόμενοι. τὸν δὲ ναὸν περιελθόντες κατὰ τὸ ἔθος, ἐπειδὰν γένοιντο ἐν τῷ σωλέᾳ, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι πάντες ἑστᾶσιν ἐκτὸς, αὐτὸς δὲ μόνος εἰσερχόμενος τὸν σωλέαν, τὸν πατριάρχην ἐπὶ ταῖς ἱεραῖς κιγκλίσιν ἑστηκότα εὑρίσκει. προσαγορεύσαντες δὲ ἀλλήλους, ὁ πατριάρχης μὲν ἐσωτέρω, ἔξω δ' ὁ βασιλεὺς περιμένουσιν ἑστῶτες· εὐθὺς δὲ ὁ μετὰ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν ἄλλων ἡγούμενος διακόνων, τῇ δεξιᾷ μὲν κατέχων θυμιατὸν, τῇ δ' ἑτέρᾳ τὸ 1.201 τοῦ πατριάρχου λεγόμενον μαφόριον, τὸν βασιλέα παριὼν θυμιᾷ· κλίναντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν, ὁ διάκονος εἰς ἐπήκοον πάντων «μνησθείη κύριος ὁ θεὸς» λέγει «τοῦ κράτους τῆς βασιλείας ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ πάντοτε, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων,» ἐπιλέγων καὶ τὸ ἀμήν. ἐφεξῆς δὲ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ διάκονοι παριόντες καὶ ἱερεῖς λέγουσι τὸ αὐτό. τούτου δὲ τελεσθέντος, ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν πατριάρχην προσαγορεύσας, ἀποδύεται τὸν μανδύαν. καὶ τὸν μὲν ὁ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ῥαιφερενδάριος ἀποφέρεται, οὕτω γὰρ ἔθος· ὁ βασιλεὺς δ' ἐπὶ τὴν ἀναβάθραν ἀνερχόμενος, ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου κάθηται πάλιν, τοῦ συμβόλου τῆς πίστεως τῆς τε προσευχῆς τοῦ πάτερ ἡμῶν λεγομένων, καὶ τῆς ὑψώσεως γινομένης τοῦ