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.
Fifth-century Ireland: Brigid is Ireland's first and only female priest
and bishop. Followers flock to her Kildare abbey and scriptorium.
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.
As Decius records the unorthodox practices of Brigid and her abbey, he
becomes intrigued by her. 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.
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. Hidden within the sacred box is the most beautiful
illuminated manuscript Alex has ever seen. 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.
