Sanctus

From the Latin for “holy,” a hymn of adoration and praise which begins, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts.” It typically follows the preface in the eucharistic prayer and is sung or said by the celebrant and people. The Sanctus is based on the song of the seraphim as recorded in Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in the year King Uzziah died (Isaiah 6:1-3). The Sanctus has been accompanied by bells since the fifteenth century in some places.