a ceremony in the Roman Church, by which persons deceased are ranked in the catalogue of the saints. This act is preceded by beatification; and after the merits of the individual have been duly tested and approved, the pope decrees the canonization.

The term was not introduced till the twelfth century. The first person who availed himself of it was Udalric, bishop of Constance, in his letter to Pope Calixtus II. relative to the canonization of Bishop Conrad. The act, however, dates from a much more remote antiquity. The ceremony was originally only a commemoration of the martyrs, whose assistance was invoked in the name of the church militant to which they had belonged. Originally bishops decided whether or not the candidate had fairly vindicated his claim to the honour; but they only acted as the organ of public opinion. As soon as the power of Rome was once more upon the ascendant in Europe, the popes naturally appropriated to themselves the important privilege of canonization. None but martyrs were at first admitted into the category of saints, but in course of time the privilege was extended to some of those pious men who, without having sealed their testimony with their blood, had evinced the sincerity of their belief by the purity of their practice. In later times, however, the pope assumed the right of admitting into the sacred catalogue such potentates as had favoured his temporal interests. Notable instances of this are the names of Henry, Emperor of Germany, canonized by Eugene III., and Edward the Confessor, of England, canonized by Alexander III.

So long as the right of according the honours of canonization was vested in the bishops, there was no public guarantee that it had been exercised with rigour or discretion. But when it passed into the hands of the popes, means were taken to prevent any but really meritorious persons from being enrolled in the holy category. Even then, however, a very simple ordeal sufficed. A few pretended miracles happening at a tomb were enough to give its innate a claim to have his name inscribed in the canon of the mass among the number of the happy. If the honour were conferred on any saint shortly after his death, it was commonly through family interest, or the intrigues of noble relatives. At a later period, when the ceremony was only performed after a considerable lapse of time, reasons were always hard to be found why the saintly candidate should be rejected. In modern times the court of Rome has shown itself extremely averse to promiscuous canonization; and since the days of Benedict XIV., the advocatus diaboli, or devil's advocate, has exercised extreme severity in sifting the claims of aspirants. It is further necessary that a period of a hundred years should elapse between the death of the saint and his admission into the calendar. But the more pious men of every country in Europe have of late evinced so little ambition to secure this posthumous compliment, that it may now be considered to have gone fairly out of fashion. Chemical science moreover has within the last century wrought so many miracles, that those of the church have fallen into neglect, if not absolute contempt.

On the day of canonization the pope and cardinals officiate in white; while St Peter's church is illuminated and hung with rich tapestry, upon which the arms of the pope, and of the prince or state requiring the canonization, are embroidered in gold and silver.