hagiography

Hagiography is the writing of the lives of saints and other revered figures, typically to promote their veneration and to illustrate moral or theological lessons. The term derives from Greek hagios, holy, and graphia, writing. The genre encompasses both biographical details and legendary material, often emphasizing miracles, martyrdom, and virtuous conduct.

Historically, hagiographies emerged in early Christian communities and circulated as acts of the martyrs and as vitae (lives) of saints. In the medieval Latin West, they solidified into extended narratives designed to inspire devotion and instruct the faithful, frequently organized around feast days and liturgical calendars. Prominent medieval collections and later compendia shaped popular piety and the cults of saints, influencing art, liturgy, and local practices.

Similar forms exist in other religious traditions, including Buddhist biographies of revered teachers, Sufi hagiographies of saints, and hagiographic cycles in Hindu and Jain traditions. Across these contexts, the genre serves to model conduct, legitimize religious authority, and reinforce communal identity, often blending historical memory with legendary embellishment.

Scholars approach hagiography as a literary and historical genre. It is studied for its rhetorical strategies, social and religious contexts, and its value as a source for understanding devotional practices, cultic networks, and local history. Critical methods distinguish devotional aims from historical evidence, while acknowledging that hagiographies can illuminate how communities imagined virtue, sanctity, and memory.