CALL FOR PAPERS

While papal canonisations in the High Middle Ages have long been the focus of much research, other forms of the papacy’s involvement in the cult of saints have received far less attention. The aim of the conference is therefore to examine various forms of papal participation in the cult of saints, other than canonisations in the narrow sense, from the late tenth to the early fourteenth century. 

The  conference will take place on May 6-7 2027 at the University of Warsaw, Poland. We would like to bring together scholars from different backgrounds (historians, theologians, art historians, archaeologists, musicologists) who specialise in the medieval cult of saints and the papacy, and more broadly: religiosity, culture and the history of the Church. Potential topics for submission may include, but are not limited to:

• the papacy as promoter or detractor of the cult of saints
• the papacy and the recognition of sainthood in forms other than canonisations  
• popes and the translation of relics 
• the role of the papacy in the creation of hagiography (including production of manuscripts)
• the papacy and martyrologies / calendars
• papal indulgences and the cult of saints
• false claims about papal involvement in the cult of saints (other than false claims of papal canonisation)
• popes’  personal involvement in public or ‘private’ veneration of saints
• papal legates and the cult of saints
• the papacy as a donor and recipient of objects associated with the veneration of saints
• imitating papacy in the cult of saints
• the cult of saint popes

To propose a paper

Please submit a paper title and abstract (max 250 words) with your name, email address and academic affiliation to beyondcanonisation@uw.edu.pl by 15 November 2027.

The language of the conference is English. As an outcome of the conference, the publication of selected papers within an edited volume is planned. 

In case of any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at beyondcanonisation@uw.edu.pl

Beyond the Canonisation Process – the Conference Concept

The idea for the conference stems from the RECOGNISING SAINTS project, which systematically analyses the phenomenon of the formalisation of the veneration of saints, enabling their public, liturgical worship – a process we refer to as the recognition of sainthood. Our research shows that papal involvement in the recognition of sainthood was not limited to canonisation in the narrow sense of the term, that is, the specific procedure which acquired a mature form in the thirteenth century and through which the papacy declared that someone was added to the catalogue of saints. Thus, popes, in addition to the solemnly proclaimed canonisations, carried out the translation of saints’ remains themselves or ordered others to do so, consecrated altars and churches dedicated to new saints, and occasionally deferred decisions on the recognition of a new cult to other ecclesiastical institutions. The papacy took a stance on the sanctity of particular figures, sometimes referring to them as ‘saints’ regardless of whether these figures had been recognised before. Papal legates were also involved in the process of sainthood recognition in various forms which are difficult to encompass within a narrowly defined understanding of canonisation and which certainly merit further research. 

And yet, issues relating to the recognition of sainthood itself by no means exhaust the range of topics concerning the papacy’s role in the cult of saints. The debate as to whether the papacy promoted or combated certain cults or certain types of sanctity is not yet concluded. In this context, papal indulgences continue to merit further attention, as does the involvement of popes and their immediate entourage in the creation of hagiographic texts, martyrologies and calendars. The popes’ roles as founders of churches and altars dedicated to specific saints, as well as donors of objects of worship associated with their veneration, have also not been the subject of more systematic research. Some of these activities are linked to the popes’ role as bishops of Rome, which also involved various forms of public engagement in the veneration of saints. While this topic has received a vast amount of scholarly attention for the Early Middle Ages, less attention has been given to it in the High Middle Ages. On top of this, the popes’ ‘private’ devotion to saints still awaits a thorough research.

It is well known that the papacy, by virtue of its authority in Latin Christendom, was the reference point for other ecclesiastical institutions, who often imitated its practices and rituals. The question arises if this imitatio was also present in the process of local veneration of saints. This is closely connected to the role of the cult of holy popes for local communities and the extent to which those communities, in promoting the cults of their own saints, emphasized the role — whether real or alleged — of popes in the development and legitimization of their veneration. 

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The conference is organised by the project ‘RECOGNISING SAINTS in the High Middle Ages: Local and Papal Formalisation of Cults Reconsidered’ funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (2023/50/E/HS3/00250) and hosted by the Faculty of History, University of Warsaw. Organisers: Gabriele Bonomelli, Tomasz Dalewski, Grzegorz Pac, Hannah Potthoff