 The main source of information about Columba's life is the Vita Columbae, a hagiography written in the style of "saint's lives" narratives that had become widespread throughout medieval Europe.Compiled and drafted by scribes and clergymen, these accounts were written in Latin and served as written collections of the deeds and miracles attributed to the saint, both during his or her life or after death.The canonization of a saint, especially one who had lived on the fringes of the medieval Christian world like Columba, required a well-written hagiography to be submitted to Rome, but popular belief and local cults of sainthood often led to the veneration of these men and women without official approval from the Church.