The Evolution of Types of Saints from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era Cover Image

Эволюция типов святых от Средних веков до Нового времени
The Evolution of Types of Saints from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era

Author(s): Nikita Igorevich Egorov
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Cultural history, Comparative history, Middle Ages, Modern Age, History of Religion
Published by: Казанский (Приволжский) федеральный университет
Keywords: sanctity; early Modern Era; medieval saints; hagiography; cults of “new saints”;

Summary/Abstract: The paper considers whether it is possible and appropriate to differentiate between the types of saints in the Middle Ages and the early Modern Era in Europe. The study is based on the analysis of various types of sources, such as saints’ lives, protocols of canonization processes, and other church acts. The typologies of “old” (late antique and medieval) and “new” (represented by the so-called beati moderni) saints were compared. The differences between the medieval and the modern vision of sanctity in Catholic Church were revealed. The classifications of saints proposed by A. Voshe and M.Yu. Paramonova were discussed. A new classification of beati moderni was suggested. The specifics of canonization of “new saints” and the phenomenon of their emergence were explored. Using the results of the comparative analysis, it was concluded that “new saints” must be distinguished from the medieval ones, because they are a reflection of the realities and values of the early Modern Era. In many cases, they determined a new image of saints in Catholic Church, which has been common since the Council of Trent until the present times.

  • Issue Year: 162/2020
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 98-110
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Russian