SAINTS WITHOUT LIVES (VITAE). CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SIRMIAN HAGIOGRAPHY

Abstract

This paper discusses mentions of almost unknown Sirmian saints who are cited by sources, especially in the Acta Sanctorum by Bollandists and some martyrologia, mainly Martyrologium Hyeronimianum and Breviarum Syriacum, both deriving from 4^th century. There are several saints whose Lives (Vitae) bring confusion in hagiography (such as Alexander, Timotheus, Virgin Saints, Basilla, etc) and at this point, the author tends to try to resolve the dilemmas. On many of these saints we know mostly only their proposed name and date of their veneration or martyrdom, and only a comparative analysis of multiple sources can come to some conclusion as to who these saints really were. For many others, however, there are almost no indications of who they were or even did they exist.