In the Little Entrance the deacon or priest holds up the Gospel (book), signifying the Word entering the world. In the ancient time, the “little” procession actually began from outside, because the well-decorated Gospel book with mounted jewels was brought into the church from the patriarch’s or bishop’s residence near the church.

In Hagia Sophia the elevated ambo upon which the deacon reads the Prophets, the Epistle, the Gospel before delivering the sermon is located near the center of the nave. Here, as Mateos puts it, “the community as a whole [is] listening to the Word of God…” Thus, the assembly therein “helped to create a unity between clergy and the faithful…. [where] there is no remarkable differences between bishop, priest and laity. Everyone needs to hear the Word of God and be purified by it” (Mateos, 2016: 61-62).