The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ came to Nidaros. With these words the Icelandic Annales regii of the year 1165 recorded the arrival of...

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ came to Nidaros. With these words the Icelandic Annales regii of the year 1165 recorded the arrival of a drop of Christ's blood in Nidaros, today known as as Trondheim in Norway. As often occurred with important saints' relics, Christ's holy blood and it's arrival in Trondheim became the central theme of an ecclesiastical feast. This feast was called Susceptio sanguinis and was celebrated annually on September 12th. Today the Nidaros holy blood relic has disappeared, and many regard the medieval cult of relics as heathen and utterly fanciful. If we choose to focus on the main idea lying behind the Annales regii, namely the theme of the redemption of mankind flowing from a substance that descends from the divine, we might understand the cult's long-standing attraction. Schola Sanctae Sunnivae and conductor Anne Kleivset perform the first recording of the Holy Blood Office.