The expression "to die in the odour of sanctity" has entered common language to describe someone who leaves the world with a reputation for great virtue. But at the origin of this phrase lies a precise idea that runs through the history of Christianity: holiness has a fragrance. In the lives of the saints, the accounts of the martyrs and the cult of relics, fragrance was long considered a visible, or rather perceptible, sign of the divine presence in a person.
The biblical roots
The image has roots in Scripture. Saint Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, writes that Christians are to God "the aroma of Christ", and that through them the fragrance of the knowledge of him spreads everywhere. In the letter to the Ephesians he describes Christ's sacrifice as a fragrant offering.
Already in the Old Testament the sacrifices pleasing to God are said to give a "pleasing odour". Fragrance thus becomes a metaphor for the life offered: what is given entirely rises towards God like a welcome aroma.
The martyrdom of Polycarp
One of the oldest accounts in which the fragrance of holiness appears is the Martyrdom of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who died in the second century. The text, written by his community, relates that when the bishop was placed on the pyre the fire formed a kind of vault around him, like the sail of a ship filled by the wind, and that from his body came not the smell of burning flesh but a fragrance like that of incense or other precious spices.
This account matters because it establishes a pattern that will often return: the martyr's body, instead of undergoing corruption, gives off a fragrance that reveals its union with Christ.
Fragrance in the lives of the saints
Over the centuries hagiographies have told of countless similar cases. Fragrance may appear at different moments:
- during life, as a sign of the presence of grace in a person;
- at the moment of death, when the saint's room fills with an inexplicable fragrance;
- in the tomb, when on the opening of a grave a fragrance is noticed instead of the smell of decay;
- in the relics, which continue to give off an aroma or to exude a fragrant liquid.
Conversely, in the same literature demons and evil are often associated with stench. Fragrance and foul smell thus become a moral and spiritual code.
The myrrh-streaming saints
In the Eastern tradition there is a particular category of saints: the myroblytai, "those who pour forth myrrh". These are saints from whose relics, according to tradition, a fragrant liquid flows, called myron.
The most famous is Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki, a martyr venerated as patron of the city, from whose tomb a fragrant ointment was said to flow and was gathered by pilgrims. The title "myrrh-streaming" became part of his name in the Byzantine tradition.
The manna of Saint Nicholas
In the West the best-known case is that of Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra, whose relics were brought to Bari in 1087. From the tomb, in the crypt of the basilica dedicated to him, a liquid traditionally called the "manna of Saint Nicholas" is collected. Every year, during the feast of the translation in May, the liquid is drawn in a solemn rite and distributed to the faithful in small phials.
The symbolic meaning
What does the idea of the odour of sanctity express? We can point to several meanings:
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fragrance of the body | Inner transformation becoming outwardly manifest |
| Absence of corruption | Victory over death, a foretaste of resurrection |
| Flowing liquid | Grace that continues to give itself even after death |
| Stench of evil | Spiritual corruption as decay |
Fragrance is invisible yet real; it spreads without being held back; it reaches those nearby without their having to do anything. For the Christian tradition it is a perfect image of holiness, which does not impose itself but spreads, and transforms the surroundings in which it is found.
In short
- The expression "odour of sanctity" comes from the idea that holiness has a fragrance.
- Saint Paul calls Christians "the aroma of Christ".
- The Martyrdom of Polycarp tells of a fragrance of incense rising from the bishop's pyre.
- The myrrh-streaming saints, such as Demetrius of Thessaloniki, are those whose relics exude a fragrant liquid.
- The manna of Saint Nicholas in Bari is the best-known example in the West.
