sanctorum

Sanctorum is a Latin noun form, typically the genitive plural of sanctus, and in that sense means “of the saints” or more broadly “holy.” In religious usage, sanctorum appears in phrases and titles to denote sacred things or the saints collectively, and it occurs in liturgical and hagiographic Latin as part of longer expressions.

The most widely known use linked to the word is Sanctum Sanctorum, usually translated as the Holy of Holies. In the Hebrew Bible, this refers to the innermost chamber of the Temple in Jerusalem, where the presence of God was believed to reside. In Christian tradition, the term has been extended to describe the most sacred part of a church, often the area containing the tabernacle or the Holy Gifts. Access to the sanctum sanctorum was typically restricted to designated clergy, and it was central to rites emphasizing the sacramental presence of the Eucharist.

In art, architecture, and religious literature, sanctum sanctorum appears as a descriptive or ceremonial label for the innermost, most sacred spaces or concepts within sacred buildings or devotions. Beyond Sanctum Sanctorum, the form sanctorum can appear in Latin descriptions and inscriptions referring to saints or holy persons, frequently in titles, calendars, or lists that enumerate the sancti or sanctae in liturgical contexts.

Overall, sanctorum carries a sense of sacredness in Latin, most prominently recognized in the enduring phrase Sanctum Sanctorum.