Martyrologium

Martyrologium, from Latin martyrologium, denotes a genre and a number of specific books that list martyrs and saints and tie their remembrance to liturgical feast days. In Western Christian practice, martyrologia are calendars or rolls in which names are arranged by date and accompanied by brief identifiers such as place and era, sometimes with a note about martyrdom or the saint’s deeds. The tradition extends to early Christian centuries, and one of the earliest and most influential compilations is the Hieronymian Martyrology, a Latin-language text drawing on earlier Greek and local lists and subsequently revised by various editors.

The best-known Catholic example is the Martyrology known as the Roman Martyrology. First compiled in the late 16th century under papal authority, it has undergone revisions and expansions and remains the official list of saints to be commemorated in the Roman Rite. Modern editions are periodically updated by Vatican authorities.

Entries typically give the saint’s name, place of origin, a date or period of martyrdom, and the assigned feast. The Martyrology serves as a reference for liturgical planning, informing the ministerial calendar and the readings of the Mass and Divine Office, and as a source for hagiographical notices. Besides the Catholic tradition, Eastern Christian practice employs similar compendia such as the Synaxarion in the Byzantine tradition and the Menologion in other churches. The term martyrology also denotes the broader field of martyrs and saints and the standard collections of their commemorations in liturgy.