I kept his pace, and he left me at the entryway to the pope's own chambers.Ī crimson tapestry separated the sacred inner sanctum from the bustle of the rest of the palace. I raced after him, wary of losing him in the labyrinthine route connecting the church's official buildings to the palace. The page started off down the long and winding corridors that lead to His Holiness's inner sanctum.

He said, 'Brother Decius, you are to follow me to an audience in the chambers of His Holiness Pope Simplicius, bishop of Rome.' I turned toward the sound and, to my surprise, saw a papal page in the doorway. I was preparing to record the edicts emanating from a recent council meeting when I heard my name. Capturing the clarity of the earliest light is as critical to my work as a scrivenerįor the Lord as it is to your work overseeing the family land thus I was alone in the study. I settled at my desk in the chambers of the papal secretary just as the sun's rays began their full celebration of God's good day. Yet, as dawn broke and I finished my prayers this morning, I would have sworn on the cross that the day would progress like every other. That the Lord has summoned me to this mission, I have no doubt.

For this very eve, I must leave Rome for an island so far outside the bounds of civilization it has never merited the attention of our dear Republic: the land of the Gaels. I write you in the utmost haste, trusting in God that I will find a safe way to deliver this letter unto your hands. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. But even more extraordinary is the contents of the manuscript’s vellum pages, which may have dire repercussions for the Catholic Church and could very well rewrite the origins of Christianity. Hidden within the sacred box is the most beautiful illuminated manuscript Alex has ever seen. Modern day: Alexandra Patterson, an appraiser of medieval relics, has been summoned to Kildare to examine a reliquary box believed to belong to Saint Brigid. When Brigid assigns Decius a holy task-to create the most important and sacred manuscript ever made-he finds himself at odds with his original mission and faces the most difficult decision of his life. Hearing accounts of Brigid’s power, the Church deems her a threat and sends Decius, a Roman priest and scribe, on a secret mission to collect proof of Brigid’s heresy.Īs Decius records the unorthodox practices of Brigid and her abbey, he becomes intrigued by her. Followers flock to her Kildare abbey and scriptorium. Rich in historical detail, Heather Terrell’s mesmerizing novel Brigid of Kildare is the story of the revolutionary Saint Brigid and the discovery of the oldest illuminated manuscript in the annals of the Church, a manuscript that contains an astonishing secret history.įifth-century Ireland: Brigid is Ireland’s first and only female priest and bishop.

Brigid of Kildare by Heather Terrell