in the Roman church, a holy person deceased, and since his decease canonized by the pope, after several informations and ceremonies. See the articles CANONIZATION, &c.

One of the points wherein the Roman-Catholics and Protestants differ is, that the former address, invoke, and supplicate saints, &c., to intercede for them; whereas the latter hold it sufficient to propose their good examples for our imitation. The number of saints, allowed as such in the Roman church, is prodigious. Father Papebroch reckons 17 or 18 to have died on the first of June only. Father Mabillon, in an express dissertation on the worship of unknown saints, observes, that honours are given to saints who perhaps were not Christians, and whose very names were never known: hence, being under a necessity of giving them names, they are therefore called baptized saints. He adds, that they every day beseech saints to intercede for them with God, when it is a matter of doubt whether they themselves be in heaven.