Wikipedia's first sentence called it “percussion instrument used in monasteries to summon monks to prayer or at the start of a procession”. Today it says “percussion instrument used in eastern”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2025
Percussion instrument used in monasteries "Toaca" redirects here. A Russian monk playing a semantron The semantron ( Greek : σήμαντρον ) is a percussion instrument used in Eastern , Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic monasteries to summon the monastics to prayer or at the start of a procession . It is also known as a semandron , semanteriom (σημαντήριον), simantra (σήμαντρα), xylon (ξύλον) and talanto (ταλαντο). In other languages, it is called as follows: Romanian : toacă ; Russian : било , bilo ; Bulgarian , Macedonian , Serbian : клепало , klepalo ; Arabic : ناقوس , nāqūs ; Armenian: կոչնակ, kochnak or gochnag .
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1294816626.
The opening as it stood in 2010
The semantron ( ) also semanterion (σημαντήριον) or simandro ; also called a xylon (ξύλον) ( ; Russian : било, bilo ; , klepalo ) is a percussion instrument used in monasteries to summon monks to prayer or at the start of a procession . In Palestine under the Ottoman Empire , when ringing church bells was outlawed, the simandro replaced them. Religious monuments of past and present in Nicosia (Cyprus) Denton, William.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 354660621.
The opening as it stood in 2015 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Russian monk playing a semantron "Toaca" redirects here.The semantron or semandron ( ), or semanterion (σημαντήριον), also called a xylon (ξύλον) ( ; Russian : било, bilo ; Bulgarian , Macedonian and Serbian : клепало, klepalo ) is a percussion instrument used in monasteries to summon the monastics to prayer or at the start of a procession .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 615347939.
The opening as it stood in 2020
A Russian monk playing a semantron The semantron or semandron ( ), or semanterion (σημαντήριον), also called a xylon (ξύλον) ( ; Russian: било , bilo ; Bulgarian , Macedonian , Serbian : клепало , klepalo ; , nāqūs ) is a percussion instrument used in monasteries to summon the monastics to prayer or at the start of a procession .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 961593563.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Percussion instrument used in monasteries "Toaca" redirects here.A Russian monk playing a semantron The semantron ( ) is a percussion instrument used in Eastern , Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic monasteries to summon the monastics to prayer or at the start of a procession .It is also known as a semandron , semanteriom (σημαντήριον), simantra (σήμαντρα), xylon (ξύλον) and talanto (ταλαντο).In other languages, it is called as follows: ; Russian: било , bilo ; Bulgarian , Macedonian , Serbian : клепало , klepalo ; , nāqūs .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1152894712.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “percussion instrument used in monasteries to summon monks to prayer or at the start of a procession”. Today it says “percussion instrument used in eastern”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
percussion instrument used in monasteries to summon monks to prayer or at the start of a procession
Now
percussion instrument used in eastern
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
