The Book of Saints: A Day By Day Illustrated Encyclopedia

Whether practicing Christians or otherwise, we are all surrounded by saints. Their good deeds, actions, patronage, and often grisly fates permeate our society and are remembered by many of us daily. Most immediately, our calendar is marked daily by feasts celebrating the remembrance of one or another of the estimated 26,000 saints observed by Christian communities worldwide. We are all familiar with St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus (whose feast day is not December 25), while All Saint’s Day and Shrove Tuesday remain causes for colorful and widely varied celebrations across the world. We recognize the spectacle of the ‘Catherine Wheel’ at fireworks displays, St. Christopher appears on our key chains, and we are fascinated by St. Elmo’s fire. Some saints, like Patrick in Ireland, George in England, Stanislaus in Poland, and Joan of Arc in France, remain powerful symbols of national unity and allegiance. In addition to covering all the major saints whose feast days appear on the General Roman Calendar, the Liturgical Calendar of the United States, and the Liturgical Calendar of the Church of England, The Book of Saints includes many other saints recognized locally or by other creeds and denominations. The life stories of these saints are fully detailed here, along with explanations of both their famous and lesser-known attributes and powers of intercession. The Christian tradition of saints is powerfully tied to our collective religious and cultural history. We can see the profound influence of saints across the globe in place names, artistic masterpieces, pilgrimage destinations, and countless holidays and festivals. The Book of Saints explores a complex and captivating world, from the thrilling legends behind patronage and miracles, to explanations of mysterious symbols and meaningful shrines. Organized by date throughout the calendar year, this extraordinary reference book details more than 500 commonly recognized saints from around the world. Filled with gorgeous artwork and the full details about these fascinating but sometimes obscure figures, this title will appeal to anyone who is culturally inquisitive. The Book of Saints is a stunning keepsake and essential resource that makes a perfect christening, confirmation, or birthday gift, and is a great addition to any family library Cover CONTENTS FOREWORD KEY TO SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER GLOSSARY OF EMBLEMS, SYMBOLS, AND ATTRIBUTES GLOSSARY OF PATRONAGE GLOSSARY OF GENERAL TERMS INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z ACKNOWLEDGMENTS