The 38 Doctors of the Church
A Doctor of the Church is a saint whose writings and teaching the Church recognizes as having outstanding and lasting value for the faith of the whole people of God. The title has been given to 38 saints across nineteen centuries — from the Fathers of the early Church to Saint John Henry Newman, declared in 2025. The list below gives each one with their feast day and the year they were proclaimed.
The four women Doctors of the Church
- Saint Catherine of Siena — declared 1970
- Saint Teresa of Jesus — declared 1970
- Saint Therese of the Child Jesus — declared 1997
- Saint Hildegard of Bingen — declared 2012
Complete list of the 38 Doctors of the Church
| # | Saint | Feast day | Declared |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint Gregory the Great Pope and Doctor of the Church |
September 3 | 1295 |
| 2 | Saint Jerome Priest and Doctor of the Church |
September 30 | 1295 |
| 3 | Saint Ambrose Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
December 7 | 1298 |
| 4 | Saint Augustine Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
August 28 | 1298 |
| 5 | Saint Thomas Aquinas Priest and Doctor of the Church |
January 28 | 1567 |
| 6 | Saint Athanasius Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
May 2 | 1568 |
| 7 | Saint Basil the Great Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
January 2 | 1568 |
| 8 | Saint Gregory Nazianzen Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
January 2 | 1568 |
| 9 | Saint John Chrysostom Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
September 13 | 1568 |
| 10 | Saint Bonaventure Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
July 15 | 1588 |
| 11 | Saint Anselm Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
April 21 | 1720 |
| 12 | Saint Isidore of Seville Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
April 4 | 1722 |
| 13 | Saint Peter Chrysologus Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
July 30 | 1729 |
| 14 | Saint Leo the Great Pope and Doctor of the Church |
November 10 | 1754 |
| 15 | Saint Peter Damian Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
February 21 | 1828 |
| 16 | Saint Bernard Abbot and Doctor of the Church |
August 20 | 1830 |
| 17 | Saint Hilary of Poitiers Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
January 13 | 1851 |
| 18 | Saint Alphonsus Liguori Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
August 1 | 1871 |
| 19 | Saint Francis de Sales Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
January 24 | 1877 |
| 20 | Saint Cyril of Alexandria Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
June 27 | 1883 |
| 21 | Saint Cyril of Jerusalem Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
March 18 | 1883 |
| 22 | Saint John Damascene Priest and Doctor of the Church |
December 4 | 1890 |
| 23 | Saint Bede the Venerable Priest, Monk, and Doctor of the Church |
May 25 | 1899 |
| 24 | Saint Ephrem Deacon and Doctor of the Church |
June 9 | 1920 |
| 25 | Saint Peter Canisius Priest and Doctor of the Church |
December 21 | 1925 |
| 26 | Saint John of the Cross Priest and Doctor of the Church |
December 14 | 1926 |
| 27 | Saint Albert the Great Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
November 15 | 1931 |
| 28 | Saint Robert Bellarmine Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
September 17 | 1931 |
| 29 | Saint Anthony of Padua Priest and Doctor of the Church |
June 13 | 1946 |
| 30 | Saint Lawrence of Brindisi Priest and Doctor of the Church |
July 21 | 1959 |
| 31 | Saint Catherine of Siena Virgin and Doctor of the Church |
April 29 | 1970 |
| 32 | Saint Teresa of Jesus Virgin and Doctor of the Church |
October 15 | 1970 |
| 33 | Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Virgin and Doctor of the Church |
October 1 | 1997 |
| 34 | Saint Hildegard of Bingen Virgin and Doctor of the Church |
September 17 | 2012 |
| 35 | Saint John of Ávila Priest and Doctor of the Church |
May 10 | 2012 |
| 36 | Saint Gregory of Narek Abbot and Doctor of the Church |
February 27 | 2015 |
| 37 | Saint Irenaeus Bishop, Doctor of the Church, and Martyr |
June 28 | 2022 |
| 38 | Saint John Henry Newman Priest and Doctor of the Church |
October 9 | 2025 |
Ordered by the year each saint was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Doctors of the Church are there?
There are 38 Doctors of the Church. The most recent is Saint John Henry Newman, named a Doctor of the Church in 2025.
What is a Doctor of the Church?
A Doctor of the Church (Latin: Doctor Ecclesiae) is a saint whom the Pope has formally recognized for the great and enduring value of his or her writings and teaching for the whole Church. The title is conferred only on those already canonized.
Who are the four women Doctors of the Church?
Four women have been named Doctors of the Church: Saint Teresa of Ávila and Saint Catherine of Siena (both in 1970), Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1997), and Saint Hildegard of Bingen (2012).
Who were the first Doctors of the Church?
The four great Latin (Western) Doctors — Saints Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great — and the four great Greek (Eastern) Doctors — Saints Athanasius, Basil the Great, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom — are traditionally honored as the original Doctors of the Church.