The Doctors of the Church

The Doctors of the Church are great saints known for their defense and explanation of the truths of the Catholic Faith. The original eight Doctors of the Church—four Western (Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Pope Saint Gregory the Great, and Saint Jerome) and four Eastern (Saint Athanasius, Saint Basil the Great, St. Gregory Nazianzen, and St. John Chrysostom)—were named by acclamation or common acknowledgment; the rest have been named by various popes, starting with the addition of St. Thomas Aquinas to the list by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568, when he promulgated the Tridentine Latin Mass.

In the 20th century, three female saints—Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Saint Therese of Lisieux—were added to the list. A fourth, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, was added by Pope Benedict XVI on October 7, 2012, when he also added Saint John of Avila to the list. Today, there are 35 officially recognized Doctors of the Church.

• St. Albertus Magnus (1200-80)
  Added by Pope Pius XI in 1931
• St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
  Added by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1871
• Saint Ambrose (340-97)
  One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church
• Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)
  Added by Pope Clement XI in 1720
• Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
  Added by Pope Pius XII in 1946
• Saint Athanasius (297-373)
  One of the original four Doctors of the Eastern Church
• Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
  One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church
• Saint Basil the Great (329-379)
  One of the original four Doctors of the Eastern Church
• The Venerable Bede (673-735)
  Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1899
• Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
  Added by Pope Pius VIII in 1830
• Saint Bonaventure (1217-74)
  Added by Pope Sixtus V in 1588
• Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-80)
  Added by Pope Paul VI in 1970
• Saint Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
  Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1883
• Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-87)
  Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1883
• Saint Ephrem the Syrian (306-73)
  Added by Pope Benedict XV in 1920