Karol Darmoros
UNESCO Decision
The entry into the register was approved on April 17. UNESCO recognized not only the printed volumes of „Acta Sanctorum” but also the accompanying documentation and archives. The entire collection comprises 67 volumes totaling 60,490 pages, along with extensive source material, now preserved in the Bollandist Library and the Royal Library of Belgium.
Beginnings of the Work
From antiquity to the Middle Ages, thousands of lives of saints were created, often transmitted without scientific rigor. As Jesuit Father Robert Godding, director of the Bollandist Society, explains, there were those who decided to “rewrite these lives in better Latin or excluded certain fragments, considering them not very edifying.” A breakthrough occurred in the 17th century with the initiative of the Jesuit Jean Bolland, who proposed a faithful elaboration of texts based on manuscripts.
Sources and Archives
UNESCO recognized not only the „Acta Sanctorum” volumes themselves but also the impressive array of source materials. This includes approximately three hundred volumes of 17th- and 18th-century copies made from medieval manuscripts, some of which no longer exist, as well as nearly 800 copper illustration plates. As Father Godding emphasizes, these engravings are today valuable testimonies to objects and monuments that have disappeared over time.
Important Discoveries
Over the centuries, researchers have discovered and published texts of exceptional importance, including the first biography of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano and the autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola, describing the years preceding the founding of the Society of Jesus.
Current Activities
Currently, a team of five researchers in Brussels publishes the semi-annual „Analecta Bollandiana”, runs monograph series, and maintains two databases of Latin and Greek hagiographical manuscripts. Operating without public funding, thanks to the support of the Society of Jesus and donors, they continue their mission in caring for the memory of the Church’s saints.
