Heribert Rosweyde

Belgian priest

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

Heribert Rosweyde was a Belgian Jesuit priest who conceived the idea for the Acta Sanctorum, a comprehensive collection of biographies and legends of Christian saints. His original plan was to publish 18 volumes of saints' lives, complete with scholarly notes, drawing from early manuscripts.12

Following Rosweyde's death in 1629, Jean Bolland took over the project. Bolland, along with his associates like Daniel van Papenbroeck, expanded upon Rosweyde's vision. They organized the saints by their feast days and incorporated critical historical analysis, laying the groundwork for the group that became known as the Bollandists. The Acta Sanctorum is a significant work in the field of hagiography, using historical criticism to present the lives of saints.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Bollandist
The idea was conceived by Heribert Rosweyde, a Jesuit who intended to publish, from early manuscripts, 18 volumes of lives of the saints with notes attached. After Rosweyde’s death in 1629, Jean Bolland organized a group that continued to gather material and, especially on the advice of Henschenius (Godefroid Henskens),…
Read More
The idea was conceived by Heribert Rosweyde, a Jesuit who intended to publish, from early manuscripts, 18 volumes of lives of the saints with notes attached. After Rosweyde’s death in 1629, Jean Bolland organized a group that continued to gather material and, especially on the advice of Henschenius (Godefroid Henskens),…
Read More