Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us.
ECUMENICAL PRE-500 AD
The Trisagion
Also known as Thrice-Holy Hymn ยท Holy God
Other forms
Greek
Hagios o Theos,
Hagios Ischyros,
Hagios Athanatos,
eleison imas.
Extended (Good Friday form, Catholic)
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy and Immortal One,
have mercy on us.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy and Immortal One,
have mercy on us.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy and Immortal One,
have mercy on us.
About this prayer
The Trisagion (Greek: "thrice holy") is a short liturgical hymn addressed to the Trinity that has been used in Christian worship since at least the 5th century AD. It is distinct from the Sanctus ("Holy, holy, holy Lord"), which is drawn from Isaiah 6:3 and addressed to God as Lord of hosts. The Trisagion addresses the three persons of the Trinity in sequence: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal. Its origin is associated with the Antiochene liturgical tradition and the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD). A tradition recorded by the Byzantine chronicler Theodore the Lector (c. 6th century AD) attributes its adoption in the Constantinople liturgy to a vision received by a young boy during an earthquake in 438 AD. The Trisagion remains central to Eastern Christian worship and is used in both Eastern and Western traditions.
When it's said
In Orthodox Divine Liturgy, the Trisagion is sung before the reading of the Epistle, preceded by a liturgical procession. It also opens the set of prayers known as the Trisagion Prayers, said at the beginning of many Orthodox services and privately as a morning and evening devotion. In the Catholic Church, the Trisagion is chanted in Greek and Latin during the Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday. In Anglican services it occasionally appears in Passiontide and funeral rites.
Notes on the text
A theological controversy in the 5th and 6th centuries arose over whether the phrase "who was crucified for us" should be added to the Trisagion after "Holy and Immortal." The addition was supported by Monophysite Christians, who attributed the suffering of the crucifixion to one of the divine persons. Chalcedonian orthodoxy rejected this addition. The standard form used today, without this addition, reflects the Chalcedonian position.
Source
Ancient Eastern Christian liturgical tradition, attested from the 5th century AD. Greek liturgical form from the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. English translation in common liturgical use. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.