Martyrdom, Murder, and Magic

By Patricia Healy Wasyliw

Book Description

Patricia Healy Wasyliw presents a fascinating exploration of how medieval European society understood childhood sanctity and spiritual devotion through the lens of young saints. This scholarly work traces the evolution of child saint veneration from the early Christian era through the late fifteenth century, revealing how different types of child saints emerged across various historical periods.

The narrative begins with the earliest recognized child martyrs from ancient persecutions, including the Holy Innocents, whose cults became foundational to medieval Christian worship throughout Europe. Wasyliw examines how medieval communities also elevated children who suffered political or domestic violence to saintly status, reflecting deeper cultural attitudes toward innocence and suffering.

As the Church's canonization process became more formalized after the tenth century, a new category emerged: child confessors who demonstrated exceptional piety during their brief lives. However, the author reveals a troubling shift from the twelfth century onward, when many venerated child saints were actually victims of alleged ritual murders, often falsely attributed to Jewish communities.

Through careful historical analysis, this work illuminates the complex relationship between popular religious belief and the social construction of childhood in medieval Europe. Readers interested in understanding how spiritual communities create meaning from tragedy and innocence will find valuable insights into the intersection of faith, culture, and historical circumstance. The book offers a unique window into medieval spirituality while examining how societies have long sought to find sacred meaning in the lives of their youngest members.