Who Are the 35 Doctors of the Church?

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Updated June 25, 2019

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.

The Doctors of the Church

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

St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Added by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1877
Pope Saint Gregory the Great (540-604)
One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church
St. Gregory Nazianzen (330-90)
One of the original four Doctors of the Eastern Church
Saint Hilary of Poitiers (315-68)
Added by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1851
Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
Added by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012
Saint Isidore of Seville (560-636)
Added by Pope Innocent XIII in 1722
Saint Jerome (343-420)
One of the original four Doctors of the Latin Church
St. John Chrysostom (347-407)
One of the original four Doctors of the Eastern Church
St. John Damascene (675-749)
Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1883
Saint John of Avila (1500-69)
Added by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012
Saint John of the Cross (1542-91)
Added by Pope Pius XI in 1926
Saint Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619)
Added by Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1959
Pope Saint Leo the Great (400-61)
Added by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754
St. Peter Canisius (1521-97)
Added by Pope Pius XI in 1925
St. Peter Chrysologus (400-50)
Added by Pope Benedict XIII in 1729