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{{More citations needed|date=August 2025}}{{Infobox book series
| name = Acta Sanctorum
| image = Allegorie met Geschiedenis, Geleerdheid en Waarheid Titelpagina voor Joannes Bollandus, Acta sanctorvm (..) ianvarivs, 1643, RP-P-OB-48.109.jpg
| image_caption = Acta Sanctorum, January volume, published in 1643
| author = [[Society of Bollandists]]
| genre = [[Hagiography]]
| pub_date = 1643-1940
| number_of_books = 68 volumes
}}{{short description|Encyclopedic text examining the lives of Christian saints}}
{{Italic title}}

'''''Acta Sanctorum''''' (''Acts of the [[Saint]]s''; {{abbr.|small=1}} '''''AASS''''') is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical [[hagiography]], organised by the saints' [[feast day|feast days]]. The project was conceived and begun by the Jesuit [[Heribert Rosweyde]]. After his death in 1629, the [[Jesuit]] scholar [[Jean Bolland]] ('Bollandus', 1596&ndash;1665) continued the work, which was gradually finished over the centuries by the [[Bollandist]]s, who continue to edit and publish the ''Acta Sanctorum''.<ref name="Knowles1958">{{Cite journal| doi = 10.2307/3678913| issn = 0080-4401| volume = 8| pages = 147–166| last = Knowles| first = M.D.| title = Presidential address: Great historical enterprises I. The Bollandists| journal = Transactions of the Royal Historical Society| series = 5th ser.| date = 1958| jstor = 3678913}}</ref>

The Bollandists oversaw the project, first in [[Antwerp]] and then in [[Brussels]]. The ''Acta Sanctorum'' began with two January volumes (for saints whose feast days were in January), published in 1643. 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]]. After the creation of the Kingdom of [[Belgium]], the Bollandists were permitted to reassemble, working from the [[Royal Library of Belgium]] in Brussels. The main work ended with the ''Propylaeum'' to December published in 1940. 

In total, the effort produced 68 volumes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acta Sanctorum |url=https://about.proquest.com/en/products-services/acta/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=about.proquest.com |language=en}}</ref> 

In addition to the extraordinary amount of biographical material, extensively researched, the ''Acta Sanctorum'' broke new ground in its use of [[historical criticism]].<ref name="Knowles1958"/>

==See also==
* ''[[Acta Martyrum]]''
* ''[[Martyrologium romanum]]''
* [[Roman Catholic calendar]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://archive.org/search.php?sort=title&query=%28contributor%3A%28Falvey%20Memorial%20Library%2C%20Villanova%20University%29%29%20AND%20-mediatype%3Acollection%20AND%20firstTitle:A  ''Acta Sanctorum'' (in Latin) at the Digital Library@Villanova University]
*[https://www.bollandistes.org/ Societé des Bollandistes website] 
** [http://www.kbr.be/~socboll/ previous website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20121207222133/https://www.kbr.be/~socboll/ archived 7 December 2012])
*Commercial [http://acta.chadwyck.co.uk  ''Acta Sanctorum'' Database]
*[http://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/?p=8858 ''Acta Sanctorum'' volumes online in PDF] – at Roger Pearse
* [https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/Literatur/Baende_Acta_Sanctorum.html Copyable text of the books]
* [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRkUFBfVVqv5Tr2aZS4apFNpTJ-ys6VqeQxgsAI1v7cH5putIgchYWJAVGHuu0lWGmdD2DU7Vb1o7XH/pubhtml?gid=1229761466 List of links to scans of ''Acta Sanctorum'' volumes] in the "Links Galore" spreadsheet
* [https://about.proquest.com/en/products-services/acta/ ProQuest database]

[[Category:Christian hagiography]]
[[Category:Christian saints|*]]
[[Category:Society of Bollandists]]


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