All Saints' Day

Home
Account Services
Research Tools
Catalog
Databases
Events
Library Branches
Good Reading
About the Library
Site Index

All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows' Day or Hallowmas) is the day after All Hallows' Eve (Halloween). It is a feast day celebrated on November 1st by Anglicans and Roman Catholics and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Eastern churches.

In the fourth century, neighboring dioceses began to join in a common feast to memorialize martyrs. The first record of All Saints' Day being celebrated on November 1st is during the reign of Pope Gregory III (731-741 AD), who dedicated a chapel in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, to honor all saints. In 609 AD, Pope Boniface IV proclaimed May 13th as a day to remember all martyrs. In 837 AD, Pope Gregory IV declared the day should include remembrance of all the saints, not just martyrs, and officially moved the day to November 1st.

Web Sites

• Catholic Online
• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
• New Advent
• American Catholic

Catalog

Search the library's catalog for Christian saints.

Databases

Enter the phrase saints in these databases:

• Gale Virtual Reference