Portal:Saints

THE SAINTS PORTAL

Showcased saint-related content

In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term saint depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, and Lutheran doctrine, all of their faithful deceased in Heaven are considered to be saints, but some are considered worthy of greater honor or emulation. Official ecclesiastical recognition, and consequently a public cult of veneration, is conferred on some denominational saints through the process of canonization in the Catholic Church or glorification in the Eastern Orthodox Church after their approval.

While the English word saint originated in Christianity, historians of religion tend to use the appellation "in a more general way to refer to the state of special holiness that many religions attribute to certain people", referring to the Jewish ḥasīd or tzadik, the Islamic walī, the Hindu rishi or Sikh Bhagat and guru, the Shintoist kami, the Taoist shengren, and the Buddhist arhat or bodhisattva also as saints. Depending on the religion, saints are recognized either by official ecclesiastical declaration, as in the Catholic faith, or by popular acclamation (see folk saint). (Full article...)

Selected biography

William Wilberforce (August 24, 1759 – July 29, 1833) was a British politician and philanthropist. A native of Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 and became the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire (1784–1812). A close friend of Prime Minister William Pitt, in 1785 he underwent a conversion experience and became an evangelical Christian. In 1787 he came into contact with Thomas Clarkson and a group of anti-slave trade activists, including Granville Sharp, Beilby Porteus, Hannah More and Lord Middleton.

At their suggestion, Wilberforce was persuaded to take on the cause; he became one of the leading English abolitionists, heading the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade, which he saw through to the eventual passage of the Slave Trade Act in 1807. In later years Wilberforce supported the campaign for complete abolition, which eventually led to the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833; this Act paved the way for the complete abolition of slavery in the British Empire. A tireless campaigner for the abolition of slavery, Wilberforce died just three days after hearing that the passage of the Act through Parliament was secure. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to his friend William Pitt. Various churches within the Anglican Communion commemorate Wilberforce in their liturgical calendars.

Did you know...

  • ...that the Chinese government had no objections when the Eastern Orthodox Church canonized Metrophanes, Chi Sung and other martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion, but did object to canonizations by the Roman Catholic Church?
  • ... that after being captured by pirates, Matthew Carrieri offered to remain a captive in place of others, which shocked the pirate captain so much he set them all free?
  • ...that Martha, the mother of Simeon Stylites, is said to have only consented to marriage after John the Baptist appeared to her telling her to do so?

Selected saint days

General images

The following are images from various saint-related articles on Wikipedia.
  • St Bridget of Sweden pictured with a halo. In Christian iconography, saints may also be depicted with wreaths, palm branches, and white lilies. (from Saint)
  • Icon of St. Cyprian of Carthage, who urged diligence in the process of canonization (from Canonization)
  • Saint, 12th century fresco in Staraya Ladoga (from Saint)
  • Eremitic Saint Onuphrius by Emmanuel Tzanes, 1662 (from Saint)
  • A portrait depicting Saint Francis of Assisi by the Italian artist Cimabue (1240–1302) (from Saint)
  • Canonization of Elizabeth of Hungary in 1235. Sándor Liezen-Mayer (1863). (from Canonization)
  • Portrait of the saintly Kanua, a Hindu baba of Mathura, India, also pictured with a halo encircling his head. (from Saint)
  • Pope Pius II canonizes Catherine of Siena. (from Canonization)
  • "Scripture does not teach calling on the saints or pleading for help from them. For it sets before us Christ alone as mediator, atoning sacrifice, high priest, and intercessor."—A.C. Article XXI. (from Saint)
  • The symbols of the four Evangelists are here depicted in the Book of Kells. The winged man, lion, eagle and bull symbolize, clockwise from top left, Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke. (from Saint symbolism)
  • On 4 November 1992, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece unanimously declared saints those Christians who had been tortured and massacred by the Turks in the Great fire of Smyrna in 1922. (from Canonization)
  • Dutch Book of Prayers from the mid-fifteenth century showing a group of five saints, with their emblems: Saint James the Great (wearing a pilgrim's hat); Saint Joseph; Saint Ghislain (holding a church); Saint Eligius (bishop with a crosier, holding a hammer); Saint Hermes (with the armor and the sword) (from Saint symbolism)
  • The Turkish atrocities in Bulgaria (1876). On 3 April 2011, Batak massacre victims were canonized as saints. (from Canonization)

Categories

Saints
Saints by nationality
Saints by religion
African saints
Saints in art
Cross-dressing saints
Dalit saints
Female saints
Middle Eastern saints
Lists of places named after saints
Reliquaries
Spiritual teachers
Saint stubs

WikiProjects

  • Religion
    • Christianity
      • Saints
      • Anglicanism
      • Eastern Orthodoxy
      • Oriental Orthodoxy
      • Roman Catholicism

The Saints Wikiproject aims primarily at standardizing the articles about people venerated by some Christians as saints or the blessed and ensuring quality articles. If there is an interest in including saints from religions other than Christianity, please propose those changes on our talk page.

Saints: Saint Michael - Saint Gabriel - Virgin Mary - Saint Joseph - Saint John the Baptist - Saint Stephen - Saint Peter - Saint Paul - Saint Augustine of Hippo

Traditions: Calendar of saints - Hagiography - List of saints - Symbology of the Saints

Theology: Communion of Saints - Intercession of saints - Martyrs - Patron saint

Roman Catholicism: Congregation for the Causes of Saints - Servant of God - Venerable - Beatification - Canonization

Muslim Sufi saints: 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani - Ahmad al-Rifa'i - Ibrahim al-Disuqi - Ahmad al-Badawi - Al-Shadhili - Baha' al-Din Naqshband - Ibn 'Arabi - Wali Sanga

Recognized content

Good articles

  • Annunciation Memling
  • Cabinet Card of Sojourner Truth - Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture
  • Jan van Eyck - Kardinal Niccolò Albergati - Google Art Project
  • Jan van Eyck - Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati - Google Art Project
  • Leonardo da Vinci - Virgin and Child with St Anne C2RMF retouched
  • Raffaello Sanzio - Madonna del Cardellino - Google Art Project
  • Raphaël - La Madone de Lorette - Google Art Project
  • Russian Imperial Family 1913
  • Saint Côme & Saint Damien Grandes Heures Anne de Bretagne XVIe
  • San Giovanni Evangelista (Parma) - Dome
  • Sir Anthony Van Dyck - Charles I (1600-49) - Google Art Project
  • Sojourner Truth, 1870 (cropped, restored)
  • William Holman Hunt - The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple - Google Art Project
  • Joan of Arc-Notre Dame

Things to do
Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
  • Article requests : Missing saints
  • Cleanup : List; Anthony the Great; St. Aibert; Father Damien; St. Christopher; Francesco Bonifacio; List of Catholic saints
  • Copyedit : St. Aibert, Category:Saints articles needing attention
  • Expand : John Coltrane, Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, Saint Marinus, Veneration, Category:Christian saints of the Middle Ages
  • Infobox : Category:Saints articles needing infoboxes
  • Photo : Category:Wikipedia requested photographs of Saints
  • Verify : Lancelot Andrewes; Saint Mungo; William Temple (archbishop); St. Christopher
  • Other : watch recent changes

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

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