Hagiography comprised an important literary genre in the early millennia of the Christian church, providing informational history as well as inspirational stories and legends. A hagiographic account of an individual saint can comprise a vita. It was one of the more important areas in the study of history during the Middle Ages.
The Bollandist tradition continues the study, academic assembly, appraisal and publication of materials relating to the lives of Christian saints.
Critics of modern biographies who detect reverential stances on the part of a biographer may damn such work as a "hagiography" by extension.
Bolladist Web-site: http://www.kbr.be/~socboll/
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump