Brussels: The ancient city of Bruges bore witness once again to one of Christianity’s most venerated traditions the Holy Blood Procession, a sacred observance that has endured for more than 700 years. Held annually on Ascension Day, the event this year drew an awe-inspiring crowd of over 45,000 faithful who filled the historic streets with prayer, reverence, and pageantry.
The ceremony, steeped in medieval heritage and theological significance, was organized by the Edele Confrérie van het Heilig Bloed (Noble Brotherhood of the Holy Blood), custodians of the revered relic. This year’s procession featured 53 dramatized tableaux powerful visual reenactments that spanned both biblical history and the local legends surrounding the arrival of the sacred relic in Flanders.
According to tradition, the relic a vial believed to contain drops of the blood of Jesus Christ was brought from Jerusalem to Belgium in 1150 by Thierry of Alsace, then Count of Flanders, following his participation in the Second Crusade. The precious artifact was enshrined and eventually placed within the Chapel of the Holy Blood in Bruges, a Gothic treasure nestled in the city’s medieval quarter.
The practice of parading the relic through the city began officially in 1304, and just six years later, in 1310, it received papal endorsement through the papal bull Lycet Is issued by Pope Clement V, affirming the legitimacy and sacred value of the procession.
Each year, on the feast commemorating Christ’s Ascension, the relic is carried through the streets of Bruges in a solemn yet grand spectacle. The route winds through the historic center, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. In recognition of its cultural and spiritual significance, UNESCO also inscribed the Holy Blood Procession on its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2009.
This year’s observance was presided over by Bishop Lode Aerts of Bruges and Cardinal Dominique Mathieu, who led prayers and invoked blessings upon the city and the multitude of attendees. Clad in traditional attire, hundreds of participants recreated scenes from the Old and New Testaments from Abraham and Moses to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ culminating in the solemn presentation of the relic itself.
The Chapel of the Holy Blood, located in Burg Square, continues to draw pilgrims from across Europe and beyond. For many, attending the procession is not just an act of religious devotion, but also a cultural pilgrimage, binding them to centuries of Flemish Christian identity.
As incense curled into the spring sky and bells pealed from cathedral towers, the faithful moved as one a living river of devotion flowing through the cobbled streets of Bruges. Children, elders, local dignitaries, and visiting tourists alike joined in silent reflection and jubilant praise, as the procession once again brought the city’s spiritual heart to life.
More than a tradition, the Holy Blood Procession stands as a resilient testimony to the enduring power of faith uniting the past and present, the divine and the earthly, in a city where history walks hand-in-hand with the sacred.