Sofia Boesch Gajano is born in Rome in 1934. After universitary studies in Rome, she teached medieval history at the university of Siena, the Aquila and Roma Tre. Her researches deal with the history of holiness and the veneration of saints. She has also taken an interest in women's religiosity. She founded and chairs the Italian Association for the Study of Sanctity, Cults and Hagiography (Aissca) and the European Centre for Hagiographic Studies. She is also the director of the magazine 'Sanctoru