The odour of sanctity (also spelled odor), according to the Catholic Church, is commonly understood to mean a specific scent (often compared to flowers) that emanates from the bodies of saints, especially from the wounds of stigmata. These saints are called myroblytes [1] [2] [3] while the exudation itself is referred to as myroblysia [4] or myroblytism.
The odour of sanctity can be understood to mean two things:
The term "odour of sanctity" appears to have emerged in the Middle Ages, at a time when many saints were raised to that status by acclamation of the faithful. In the absence of carefully written records, either by or about the individual, evidence of a saintly life was attested to only by personal recollections of those around him or her. It appears that the odour of sanctity occurring at the person’s death carried some weight in convincing the local ecclesiastical authority to canonize the saint – to allow the faithful to venerate them and ask the saint to intercede on their behalf.
There is a theory that the odour of sanctity is due to the smell of acetone and/or acetoacetic acid, caused by ketosis brought on by starvation from fasting. [5]
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Saint Teresa of Ávila and Saint Maravillas of Jesus (both Spanish Discalced Carmelites) were reported to have emitted heavenly scents immediately after their respective deaths, with Teresa's scent filling her monastery the moment she died. Saint Thérèse de Lisieux (a French Discalced Carmelite known as "the Little Flower") was said to have produced a strong scent of roses at her death, which was detectable for days afterward.
At the moment Madame Elisabeth was guillotined "an odour of roses was diffused over the Place de la Révolution" where she met her end. [6] Likewise, the blood issuing from Padre Pio's stigmata allegedly smelled of flowers. [7] Some dust taken from the incorrupt remains of Maria Droste zu Vischering in 1899 was meanwhile said to have emanated an agreeable scent.
Stigmata, in Roman Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, and feet.
The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order for men and women. Historical records about its origin remain uncertain, but it was probably founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel in the Crusader States. Berthold of Calabria, as well as Albert of Vercelli have traditionally been associated with the founding of the order, but few clear records of early Carmelite history have survived. The order of Carmelite nuns was formalised in 1452.
John of the Cross, OCD was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major figure of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, and he is one of the thirty-seven Doctors of the Church.
Francesco Forgione, OFM Cap., better known as Padre Pio and as Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, was an Italian Franciscan Capuchin friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, celebrated on 23 September.
Thérèse of Lisieux, born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin, also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite nun who is widely venerated in modern times. She is popularly known in English as the Little Flower of Jesus, or simply the Little Flower, and in French as la petite Thérèse.
Petrichor is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra) 'rock', or πέτρος (pétros) 'stone', and ἰχώρ (ikhṓr), the ethereal fluid that is the blood of the gods in Greek mythology.
Raphael of St. Joseph Kalinowski was a Polish Discalced Carmelite friar inside the Russian partition of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, in the city of Vilnius. He was a teacher, engineer, prisoner of war, royal tutor, and priest, who founded many Carmelite monasteries around Poland after their suppression by the Russians.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower also called Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Thérèse Church is a historic Roman Catholic church, located in San Antonio, Texas, in the United States. The church is distinguished as one of 84 in the United States bearing the papal designation of "minor basilica." Despite its religious importance it is not the cathedral of the local diocese; that distinction belongs to San Fernando Cathedral.
Teresa of Jesus of Los Andes, born as Juana Enriqueta Josephina de Los Sagrados Corazones Fernández Solar, was a Chilean professed religious from the Discalced Carmelites. Fernández Solar was a pious child but had an often unpredictable temperament for she could be prone to anger and being vain but could also demonstrate her charitable and loving nature; she seemed transformed when she decided to become a nun and her character seemed to change for her sole ambition was to dedicate herself to the service of God. But her time in the convent was cut short due to her contracting an aggressive disease that killed her - she knew she would die but was consoled knowing she would be able to make her profession before she died.
Marie of the Incarnation, also as Madame Acarie, was the foundress of the nuns of the Discalced Carmelite Order in France, who later became a lay sister of the Order. She has been called the "mother of Discalced Carmel in France".
Raffaele Rossi - born Carlo - was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church and professed member from the Discalced Carmelites. Rossi served in the Sacred Consistorial Congregation in the Roman Curia from 1930 until his death and as a friar had the religious name "Raffaele of Saint Joseph". Pope Pius XI elevated him into the cardinalate in 1930.
Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, OCD was an Italian Discalced Carmelite nun. During her brief life of quiet service in the monastery, she came to be revered for her mystical gifts. She has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
An odor or odour is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and many animals can perceive via their sense of smell. An odor is also called a "smell" or a "scent", which can refer to either a pleasant or an unpleasant odor.
Maria Esperanza Medrano de Bianchini, also known as Maria Esperanza, was a Venezuelan mystic, in Barrancas in the State of Monagas near the Orinoco River.
Mary of Jesus de León y Delgado, was a Spanish Dominican lay sister, mystic and visionary, known popularly as "La Siervita". She lived a life which was austere and simple, and many miracles were attributed to her, as well as levitation, ecstasy, bilocation, the stigmata, clairvoyance and healing, among others.
Ana de Jesús, translated into English as Anne of Jesus, was a Spanish Discalced Carmelite nun and writer. She was a close companion of Teresa of Avila, foundress of the Carmelite reform and served to establish new monasteries of the Order throughout Europe. Known as a mystic and for her writings on prayer, she has been declared Venerable by the Catholic Church.
María de las Maravillas de Jesús, OCD, in some contexts known as Maravillas de Jesús, was a Spanish Discalced Carmelite. She founded several houses of her order and even set one up in India after serving a brief exile with other Carmelites due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
María López de Rivas Martínez, religious name María of Jesus was a Spanish Discalced Carmelite. She was beatified on 14 November 1976 and her cause for sainthood continues.
Marie-Eugene de L'Enfant-Jésus - born Henri Grialou - was a French Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Discalced Carmelites of which he was a member of since just after his ordination. Grialou held several positions of leadership within his congregation and was an extensive traveler as a manager of a range of different Carmelite convents and monasteries across the world. He was the founder of the Secular Institute of Notre-Dame de Vie. Grialou was also a noted spiritual writer and wrote at great length on the Carmelite charism as well as on a range of Carmelite luminaries.
A myroblyte is a Christian saint from whose relics or burial place "an aromatic liquid with healing properties" or "holy water ", known as the Oil of Saints, "is said to have flowed, or still flows", or from whose body emanates a scent known as the odor of sanctity. The exudation of the oil or scent itself is referred to as myroblysia or myroblytism. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, some icons are also believed to release the oil.
Um crente cujo corpo exala um perfume anormal (antes ou depois da morte) é chamado de "santo miroblita" (do grego antigo myron, "óleo perfumado).