Hagiography

A hagiography is the pseudo-biographical life of a Saint (Latin: “vita”). It presents the idealized image of saintly ideal and the purpose of these tales is not to describe the life of the person, but to argue that the person was saintly. The person can be saintly because of 1 pious life, 2 modestuy and humility, 3 martyrdom, 4 sacrifice of oneself for others.

They usually contain several of the following clichés:
• Simple birth
• Prays from within the womb
• Alienation from other children
• Disciplined for ascetic piety
• Modesty, humility
• Posthumous miracles (especially absence of bodily corruption after death)
• Modeled after life of Christ

St. Boris and St. Gleb's martyrdom (canonized in 1071), written in 12th c.

The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom 16th c.