History of Holy Week

Christ Washing the Feet of the Apostles by Meister des Hausbuches, 1475. Image: Wikipedia

HISTORY OF HOLY WEEK

The week between Palm Sunday and Holy Saturday has traditionally been called Holy Week or Passion Week, and is considered the holiest week in the church calendar.

When is it, what happens each day, and what is the role of the Paschal Triduum during Holy Week?

Triduum: Three Days

The three days spanning Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and sundown on Holy Saturday are known as the Paschal Triduum.

These “three days” were celebrated as one long worship service, especially in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, and some Reformed churches. Sometimes this Triduum is called the Easter Triduum or Holy Triduum and in some churches may span from the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday to the evening prayer on Easter Sunday, thereby straddling the two liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter in the Church Calendar.

During this period, it was customary to hold baptisms for catechumens who had completed their training.

Historical and Liturgical Origins

Cover of English translation of The Journey of Egeria, published in 1919. Image: Wikipedia

The structured observance of Holy Week as a distinct liturgical period developed gradually in the early church, shaped in large part by the practice of pilgrimage to Jerusalem. One of the most valuable early accounts comes from Egeria, a fourth-century nun or abbess from western Europe, probably Spain, who made an extended pilgrimage to the Holy Land around 381-384 AD. Her travel diary, the Itinerarium Egeriae, describes to her fellow sisters in vivid detail the week-long ceremonies she witnessed in Jerusalem – processions, vigils, readings, and dramatic reenactments tied to the specific sites where the events of the Passion had taken place.

These Jerusalem observances proved deeply influential, and as pilgrims returned home, they carried the shape of the Holy Week liturgy with them, spreading its practices throughout the Western and Eastern churches.

Augustine’s Mystery of the Triduum

The vision of St. Augustine by Ascanio Luciano. Image: Wikipedia

In the earliest centuries, Christians did not necessarily distinguish the days of Holy Week as sharply as later tradition would. The Triduum was understood as a single, indivisible mystery: the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Augustine of Hippo, in the early fifth century, described the Triduum as

“the most holy three days of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord.”

Over time, the liturgical elaboration of each individual day developed, but the underlying theological unity of the three days remained a defining principle.

Other Days in Holy Week

Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday

The Gospels record that on the days following his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Jesus taught in the Temple, debated with the Pharisees and Sadducees, and delivered significant discourses, including the Olivet prophecy. These days are observed more quietly in most traditions, though they carry rich material for preaching and reflection.

In some Eastern Orthodox churches, special services called Bridegroom Matins are held on these evenings, drawing on the parable of the Ten Virgins and the image of Christ as the anticipated Bridegroom.

Spy Wednesday

The Wednesday of Holy Week is sometimes called Spy Wednesday, marking the Gospel account of Judas Iscariot‘s agreement to betray Jesus to the Chief Priests for thirty pieces of silver. The name reflects his role as an informant – one who lurked within the inner circle of the disciples. Some traditions hold a service on this day focused on the themes of betrayal and repentance.

In the Byzantine rite, Wednesday evening’s liturgy includes the reading of the account of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus with costly perfume – a moment of extravagant devotion deliberately set in contrast to Judas’s transaction.

You can read my articles on the history of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday later this week.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com