odour of sanctity

odour of sanctity
One of the phenomena taken throughout the Christian era as evidence of sainthood is the odour of sanctity: a pleasant fragrance (most often described as the scent of flowers) detected when a holy a holy person dies. If an individual is described (without irony) as dying in the odour of sanctity, this means that he or she dies a saint. The odour of sanctity is particularly associated with saints whose bodies are reported to remain incorruptable after death.
Source: Chambers Dictionary of Beliefs and Religions