Saints

by Sarita Shera and Jennifer Sung

In Christianity, a saint is a person who is perceived as holy, virtuous, and close to God. Saints were greatly revered in the Middle Ages, and they performed a variety of roles; people sought saints for blessings and as bridges to God. Saints were also examples of Christian virtue, and they were seen as models to follow and sources of inspiration to devotees.

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Early Christianity
Originally, the term "saints" was used to refer to all Christians, as used in the New Testament. However, around 200 CE the word started to be used for Christian martyrs who died keeping and defending their faith in Christianity. Their deaths were often followed by miracles, which led to even more people honoring and following them. People started to celebrate the days on which the saints died and entered heaven, and this later developed into numerous saints' days and presenting masses in their honor. Furthermore, people believed that pilgrimage to the tomb of saints would heal or bless them spiritually or physically. Opposition existed, both from pagans and Christians. Some Christians asserted that honoring the relics of saints resembled paganism. Although the cult of saints continued to evoke controversy, the appeal of saints kept on growing in popularity.

Canonization
By the fourth century CE, as belief in saints became widespread, the Church officially accepted the veneration of saints and sought control. Thus, the process of canonization came into use. Canonization is the official naming of saints by the Church, and is still practiced today. At first, saints were canonized by archbishops. Many saints were canonized during this time. The first canonization by the Pope occurred in the late tenth century. The late twelfth century marked the end of non-papal canonizations. Around this time, the canonization of saints became far less frequent.

Before canonization, a candidate for sainthood, who had to be deceased, was evaluated by the archbishop or papacy. The criteria were, and still continue to be, as follows:


 * Sufficient evidence of the candidate's selflessness, virtuousness, and faith
 * Proof that the candidate has performed miracles
 * Widespread support of the candidate

If the candidate were deemed worthy of sainthood, they were added to an official list. The candidate was also assigned a feast day and subsequently added to the calendar of saints.

The Cult of Saints
The cult--or //cultus// in Latin--of saints refers to the veneration of saints. The //Martyrdom of St. Polycarp//, which is the earliest surviving work of Christian hagiography dating from 167 CE, records the celebration of the day of a martyr's death with a feast and the preservation of his body as a relic. By the time of the Edict of Milan (313 CE), the cult of saints was accepted and officially recognized, and began its true growth.

One form of honoring a saint was liturgical. Feasts commemorated the dates of saints' deaths, the dates in which those saints entered heaven and gained eternal life. Such commemorations could be simple; however, for saints of significant stature, more elaborate ceremonies were provided, such as elaborate processions bearing their relics or readings taken from the saints' lives.

The cult of relics was also an important form of veneration of the saints. Relics were objects associated with saints that were left behind and deemed to incorporate the holy power of those sacred people. Relics were seen as a way to bring people closer to the saints, and thus, closer to God. Numerous tales of miracles were associated with relics. Furthermore, relics were not only a symbol of the saints, but also the continued physical presence of the saints on earth.

A variety of relics exist, and they have been defined, by the Roman Catholic Church, as first, second, and third class relics. First class relics constitute a saint's corpse and parts or remains of his or her body. Second class relics are clothing that a saint wore or items a saint frequently used or owned, such as books or a rosary. Third class relics are objects that were brought into contact with any first or second class relics; third class relics are often small pieces of cloth or oil.

The selling of sacred relics is forbidden by the Church, as stated in the Code of Canon Law. However, many tales associated with relics, often miraculous, made the relics much sought after in the medieval society. Despite the absence of accurate ways to prove authenticity, collectors often paid extremely high prices for relics.

Hagiography
Although the word “hagiography” originally referred to a group of books in the Old Testament, it was adopted to describe the body of literature that relates to the lives and miracles performed by saints. It is also the name for the discipline of studying saints and the cult of saints. Christian hagiography dates back to the the 2nd century CE.

As hagiography developed over time, a tradition evolved. Common themes reccurred frequently in saints’ lives, and they often drew parallels to the life of Jesus. Additionally, those themes made it easier to group together saints with similar virtues; they also taught moral lessons.

In fact, hagiography was created to serve multiple purposes. Some pieces of work aimed to teach moral lessons, rather than conveying accurate information. Some tried to build the saint’s reputation in order to encourage veneration and attract more pilgrims to the shrine of the saint. Hagiography was a popular form of literature during the Medieval Ages because it provided education and entertainment to the people and encouraged devotion to religion.

Notable Medieval Saints
Many famous and important saints lived during the Middle Ages. Some of the more noteworthy ones are:


 * **Saint Remi**, from the sixth century. Remi baptized and anointed Clovis, king of the Franks. He also converted thousands of Franks to Christianity.
 * **Saint Francis of Assisi**, from the thirteenth century. Francis converted after returning from a brutal war. He lived a simple life of poverty and generosity, and was named the patron saint of animals because he emphasized the importance of nature and the sanctity of all life.
 * **Saint Clare**, from the thirteenth century. Clare was inspired by one of St. Francis's sermons and joined him at his monastery. She continued to follow and spread his ideas after his death despite her worsening health, and founded an order of nuns known as the Poor Clares.
 * **Saint Guinefort**, from the thirteenth century. Guinefort was a dog who defended an infant from a snake and was shot as a result of a misunderstanding. The Catholic Church never canonized him and tried but failed to suppress the following he gained after his death.[[image:http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/reviews/mason2/Images2/mason9-22-14.jpg width="213" height="130" align="right" caption="Fig. 4: A depiction of Saint Guinefort"]]
 * **Saint Joan of Arc**, from the fifteenth century. She is one of the patron saints of France. Joan led a French army in multiple victories against England during the Hundred Years' War. She was burned at the stake for heresy by the English.

There are thousands of other Catholic saints, some of which are listed [|here].

Image Sources
Fig. 1 found at: http://ericsammons.com/blog/2009/09/16/15th-century-catholics-saints-they-aint/

Fig. 2 found at: []

Fig. 3 found at: []

Fig. 4 found at: http://arcane.over-blog.net/article-2673526.html