Michaelmas

For other uses, see Michaelmas (disambiguation).

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, Raphael
Saint Michael the Archangel
Observed by
Date29 September (Western Christianity)[3]
8 November (Eastern Christianity)[4]
FrequencyAnnual

Michaelmas (/ˈmɪkəlməs/ MIK-əl-məs; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in many Western Christian liturgical calendars on 29 September, and on 8 November in the Eastern Christian traditions. Michaelmas has been one of the four quarter days of the English and Irish financial, judicial, and academic year.[5]

In the Christian angelology of some traditions, the Archangel Michael is considered as the greatest of all the angels; being particularly honored for defeating the devil in the war in heaven.[6]

  1. ^ Blersch, Jeffrey (21 September 2019). "St. Michael and All Angels". Pacific Hills Lutheran Church. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  2. ^ Donald Spence Jones (1898). The Anglican Church. Cassell. p. 290.
  3. ^ Blackburn, Bonnie; Holford-Strevens, Leofranc (2000). The Oxford Book of Days. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 392. ISBN 0-198-662602.
  4. ^ Blackburn & Holford-Strevens 2000, p. 452.
  5. ^ Philip's Encyclopedia. Philip's. 2008. p. 511. ISBN 978-0-540-09451-6.
  6. ^ Richard Freeman Johnson (2005), Saint Michael the Archangel in medieval English legend, Boydell Press, p. 105, ISBN 1-84383-128-7, retrieved 11 July 2010