the odour of sanctity
Preserved but no longer current.
In the Middle Ages it was held that a sweet and delightful odour was given off by the bodies of saintly persons at their death, and also when their bodies, if "translated," were disinterred. Hence the phrase, he died in the odour of sanctity, i.e. he died a saint. The Swedenborgians say that when the celestial angels are present at a death- bed, what is then cadaverous excites a sensa- tion of what is aromatic.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the odour of sanctity” mean?
In the Middle Ages it was held that a sweet and delightful odour was given off by the bodies of saintly persons at their death, and also when their bodies, if "translated," were disinterred. Hence the phrase, he died in the odour of sanctity, i.e. he died a saint. The Swedenborgians say that when the celestial angels are present at a death- bed, what is then cadaverous excites a sensa- tion of what is aromatic.
Is “the odour of sanctity” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.