Solemnity celebrated on the first of November.
It is
instituted to honour all the saints, known and unknown, and, according
to Urban IV to supply any deficiencies in the faithful's celebration of
saints' feasts during the year.
In the early days the
Christians were accustomed to solemnize the anniversary of a martyr's
death for Christ at the place of martyrdom.
In the fourth
century, neighbouring dioceses began to interchange feasts, to transfer
relics, to divide them, and to join in a common feast; as is shown by
the invitation of St. Basil of Caesarea (397) to the bishops of the
province of Pontus.
Frequently groups of martyrs suffered on the same day, which naturally led to a joint commemoration.
In the persecution of Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to each.
But the Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for all.
The
first trace of this we find in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost.
We also find mention of a common day in a sermon of St. Ephrem the
Syrian (373), and in the 74th homily of St. John Chrysostom (407).
At first only martyrs and St. John the Baptist were honoured by a special day.
Other
saints were added gradually, and increased in number when a regular
process of canonization was established; still, as early as 411 there is
in the Chaldean Calendar a "Commemoratio Confessorum" for the Friday
after Easter.
In the West Boniface IV, 13 May, 609, or
610, consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the
martyrs, ordering an anniversary.
Gregory III (731-741)
consecrated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter to all the saints and
fixed the anniversary for 1 November.
A basilica of the Apostles already existed in Rome, and its dedication was annually remembered on 1 May.
Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration on 1 November to the entire Church.
The vigil seems to have been held as early as the feast itself.
The octave was added by Sixtus IV (1471-84).