Far more than a dry hagiographical account of the lives of saints this entertaining & authoritative dictionary breathes life into its subjects & is as browsable as it is informative. First published in 1978 the Oxford Dictionary of Saints offers more than 1 700 fascinating & informative entries covering the lives cults & artistic associations of saints from around the world from the famous to the obscure the rich to the poor & the academic to the uneducated. From all walks of life & from all periods of history & from around the world the wide varieties of personalities & achievements of the canonized are reflected. An updated introduction explains the steps towards becoming a saint the processes of beatification & canonization. This revised fifth edition
Includes:: appendices containing five maps of pilgrimage sites a list of saints patronages & iconographical emblems & a calendar of principal feasts as well as a new appendix on pilgrimages.