Martyrology

Martyrology is the study of martyrs and the cataloguing of those who died for their faith or cause. The term derives from the Greek martys, “witness,” and logia, “study” or “discourse.” In Christian usage, martyrology refers to both a literary genre—accounts of martyrdoms in hagiographic texts—and a calendar or canon of saints and feast days.

Historically, martyrology emerged in the early centuries of Christianity with lists of martyrs commemorated in local churches. Over time, more formal inventories developed: the Martyrologium Hieronymianum in late antiquity and later Eastern and Western synaxaria and menologia. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Roman Martyrology is the official catalogue of saints and martyrs, first compiled under Pope Gregory XIII in the late 16th century and revised in subsequent editions; it shapes daily commemorations in the liturgical year. Eastern Christian traditions use similar compendia known as synaxaria or menologia.

Content and use: martyrological entries typically name the martyr, the date and place of death, and a brief note on the circumstances, sometimes with miracles or exemplary virtue. These texts function as devotional aids, liturgical calendars, and historical sources, though modern scholars approach them critically, recognizing hagiographic conventions and possible embellishment.

Beyond Christian contexts, the term martyrology can describe the study or listing of individuals regarded as martyrs for political or ideological causes. In all uses, martyrology concerns memory, identity, and the ethics of testimony under persecution.