Veneration (Latin veneratio, Greek δουλεία, douleia), or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. Philologically, to venerate derives from the Latin verb, venerare, meaning to regard with reverence and respect.

Within Christianity, veneration is practiced by groups such as the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches. In some Christian denominations, veneration is shown outwardly by respectfully bowing or making the sign of the cross before a saint's icon, relics, or statue. The practice of veneration is deemed heretical by iconoclastic denominations.

In Islam, veneration of saints is one overt distinction between sects such as the Shi'a and "folklorist" Sufi which venerate saints, and other sects, such as Sunnis and Wahhabists, which abhor the practice

In Roman Catholic, and Orthodox theology, veneration is a type of honor distinct from the adoration due to God alone. According to Deacon Dr. Mark Miravelle, of Franciscan University of Steubenville, the English word "worship" has been associated with both veneration and adoration: