Acta Sanctorum, ( Latin: “Acts of the Saints”) vast collection of biographies and legends of the Christian saints.
The idea was conceived by Heribert Rosweyde, who intended to publish, from early manuscripts, 18 volumes of lives of the saints with notes attached. In 1629, with the death of Rosweyde, Jean Bolland was chosen to continue the work. Bolland and his associate Henschenius (Godefroid Henskens) modified and extended the original plan of the Acta; he arranged the saints according to the date of the observance of their deaths, included doubtful cases (but with notes), and added indexes, chronologies, and histories to each chapter. The parts completed during Bolland’s life were January (2 vol., 1643) and February (3 vol., 1658), containing the biographies and legends of the saints whose feast days fell in those two months.
In his researches Bolland corresponded and traveled widely, investigating previously unexamined sources in Italian libraries. His work was continued by Henschenius and Papebroch (Daniel van Papenbroeck). From this core of hagiographers would develop the Bollandists, a small group of Belgian Jesuits who still edit and publish the Acta Sanctorum. In addition to the extensive amounts of biographical material that is of importance for both ecclesiastical and general history, this work is distinguished for its use of the principles of historical criticism.