Abstract
Holy people, as were described in Baroque hagiography, praised God by prayers and works. Baroque Jesuit hagiography defined itself in opposition to Protestantism in describing lives of holy people beside praying also works.
I used structural analysis to determine virtues that characterized single holy persons following their position in society. Following work of Claude Lévi-Strauss, who analyzed Indian mythology, I separated single stories and tried to determine single virtues.
Through this determination it is possible to state ideal virtues that Jesuit authors preferred for single social roles. Beside prayers and worship, holy people praised God by works of mercy, Christian buildings and evangelization.
This spiritual side as well as works were spread through preaching as a model for imitation among common people.