Hagiography
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A hagiography is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might consist of a biography or vita, a description of the saint's deeds or miracles, an account of the saint's martyrdom, or be a combination of these.
Page from the Vita Sancti Martini by Sulpicius Severus
Calendar entries for 1 and 2 January of the Martyrology of Oengus.
Example of Greek Orthodox visual hagiography. This is one of the best known surviving Byzantine mosaics in Hagia Sophia – Christ Pantocrator flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist made in the 12th century.
Relic
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In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, shamanism, and many other religions. Relic derives from the Latin reliquiae, meaning "remains", and a form of the Latin verb relinquere, to "leave behind, or abandon". A reliquary is a shrine that houses one or more religious relics.
The reliquary and skull of Saint Ivo of Kermartin (St. Yves or St. Ives) (1253–1303), in Tréguier, Brittany, France
Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm, 12th century, Irish
An amphora depicting a Greek hero cult in honor of Oedipus (Apulian red-figure, 380–370 BC)
Buddha relics from Kanishka's stupa in Peshawar, Pakistan, now in Mandalay, Myanmar (2005)