Acta Sanctorum

After his death in 1629, the Jesuit scholar Jean Bolland ('Bollandus', 1596–1665) continued the work, which was gradually finished over the centuries by the Bollandists, who continue to edit and publish the Acta Sanctorum.

From 1643 to 1794, 53 folio volumes of Acta Sanctorum were published, covering the saints from 1 January to 14 October.

When the Jesuits were suppressed by the Habsburg governor of the Low Countries in 1788, the work continued at Tongerlo Abbey.

In addition to the extraordinary amount of biographical material, extensively researched, the Acta Sanctorum broke new ground in its use of historical criticism.

This article about a biographical or autobiographical book on Christian personalities is a stub.