Like no other work of the Middle Ages, this collection of saints' legends from the 13th century influenced the literature and art of later generations. The present annotated volume presents the most significant lives of saints for the Western tradition. It is adorned with enchanting miniatures from a Strasbourg luxury manuscript. When the Dominican and later Archbishop of Genoa, Jacobus de Voragine (circa 1230-1298), began around 1263 to write down a selection of saints' lives and legends, their number had long become overwhelming. Thus, Jacobus focused on those figures who were regarded as the most venerable in large parts of Christendom. There was usually the richest source material available about them: in the Gospels and among the Church Fathers, in edifying literature and in the popular treasure of legends. The success of his collection was enormous.