Doctors of the Church: The Complete List of All 38, Their Titles and Feast Days

The Doctors of the Church are saints whom the Pope has formally honored for the outstanding holiness, learning and lasting value of their teaching; there are thirty-eight of them, from the great Fathers of the early centuries such as St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom to St. John Henry Newman, proclaimed in 2025. Four of them are women: St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Hildegard of Bingen. “Doctor” here means teacher, from the Latin docere, “to teach.” Below are the complete list with their dates, titles and feast days, the story of how the title began, and a prayer to the holy Doctors.

A short prayer to the Doctors of the Church, written for this page:

What is a Doctor of the Church?

The title is given by the Pope, or by an ecumenical council, to a saint whose teaching has been especially fruitful for the whole Church. Three conditions are traditionally required: holiness of life confirmed by canonization, eminent learning, and a formal proclamation by the Church. Martyrdom is not required, and the title does not mean that every opinion a Doctor held is part of Catholic doctrine; it means that his or her writings are a sure guide to the faith.

The first Doctors were the four great Latin Fathers, Gregory the Great, Ambrose, Augustine and Jerome, honored together by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298. In 1568 Pope St. Pius V added St. Thomas Aquinas and the four great Greek Fathers, John Chrysostom, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus and Athanasius. Since then popes have added Doctors from every century, most recently St. Irenaeus (2022) and St. John Henry Newman (2025).

The complete list of the 38 Doctors of the Church

#	Doctor	Lived	Declared	Feast day
1	St. Gregory the Great, pope	c. 540–604	1298, Boniface VIII	September 3
2	St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan	c. 340–397	1298, Boniface VIII	December 7
3	St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo, “Doctor of Grace”	354–430	1298, Boniface VIII	August 28
4	St. Jerome, priest and translator of the Bible	c. 347–420	1298, Boniface VIII	September 30
5	St. Thomas Aquinas, “Angelic Doctor”	1225–1274	1567, Pius V	January 28
6	St. John Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople	c. 349–407	1568, Pius V	September 13
7	St. Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea	c. 330–379	1568, Pius V	January 2
8	St. Gregory of Nazianzus, “the Theologian”	c. 329–390	1568, Pius V	January 2
9	St. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria	c. 296–373	1568, Pius V	May 2
10	St. Bonaventure, “Seraphic Doctor”	1221–1274	1588, Sixtus V	July 15
11	St. Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury	1033–1109	1720, Clement XI	April 21
12	St. Isidore of Seville, bishop	c. 560–636	1722, Innocent XIII	April 4
13	St. Peter Chrysologus, bishop of Ravenna	c. 380–450	1729, Benedict XIII	July 30
14	St. Leo the Great, pope	c. 400–461	1754, Benedict XIV	November 10
15	St. Peter Damian, cardinal	1007–1072	1828, Leo XII	February 21
16	St. Bernard of Clairvaux, “Mellifluous Doctor”	1090–1153	1830, Pius VIII	August 20
17	St. Hilary of Poitiers, bishop	c. 315–367	1851, Pius IX	January 13
18	St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop	1696–1787	1871, Pius IX	August 1
19	St. Francis de Sales, bishop of Geneva, “Doctor of Charity”	1567–1622	1877, Pius IX	January 24
20	St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop, “Doctor of the Incarnation”	c. 376–444	1882, Leo XIII	June 27
21	St. Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop	c. 315–386	1882, Leo XIII	March 18
22	St. John Damascene, priest	c. 675–749	1890, Leo XIII	December 4
23	St. Bede the Venerable, priest	c. 673–735	1899, Leo XIII	May 25
24	St. Ephrem the Syrian, deacon	c. 306–373	1920, Benedict XV	June 9
25	St. Peter Canisius, priest	1521–1597	1925, Pius XI	December 21
26	St. John of the Cross, priest, “Mystical Doctor”	1542–1591	1926, Pius XI	December 14
27	St. Robert Bellarmine, cardinal	1542–1621	1931, Pius XI	September 17
28	St. Albert the Great, bishop, “Universal Doctor”	c. 1200–1280	1931, Pius XI	November 15
29	St. Anthony of Padua, priest, “Evangelical Doctor”	1195–1231	1946, Pius XII	June 13
30	St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest, “Apostolic Doctor”	1559–1619	1959, John XXIII	July 21
31	St. Teresa of Ávila, virgin	1515–1582	1970, Paul VI	October 15
32	St. Catherine of Siena, virgin	1347–1380	1970, Paul VI	April 29
33	St. Thérèse of Lisieux, virgin	1873–1897	1997, John Paul II	October 1
34	St. John of Ávila, priest	c. 1500–1569	2012, Benedict XVI	May 10
35	St. Hildegard of Bingen, abbess	1098–1179	2012, Benedict XVI	September 17
36	St. Gregory of Narek, Armenian monk	c. 951–1003	2015, Francis	February 27
37	St. Irenaeus of Lyon, bishop, “Doctor of Unity”	c. 130–202	2022, Francis	June 28
38	St. John Henry Newman, cardinal	1801–1890	2025, Leo XIV	October 9

The women Doctors of the Church

• St. Teresa of Ávila and St. Catherine of Siena, the first women Doctors, proclaimed by St. Paul VI in 1970.
• St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the young Carmelite of the “Little Way,” proclaimed by St. John Paul II in 1997, on the centenary of her death.
• St. Hildegard of Bingen, the Benedictine abbess, mystic and composer, proclaimed by Benedict XVI in 2012.

Frequently asked questions

How many Doctors of the Church are there?

Thirty-eight, as of 2025, when Pope Leo XIV proclaimed St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church.

Who was the most recent Doctor of the Church?

St. John Henry Newman, proclaimed on November 1, 2025. Before him, St. Irenaeus of Lyon was named in 2022.

Who are the four great Doctors of the Western Church?

St. Gregory the Great, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine and St. Jerome.

Who are the four great Doctors of the Eastern Church?

St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus and St. Athanasius.

More

• Saint of the day
• Saint feast days
• Prayers to popular saints
• Patron saint of teachers
• The Twelve Apostles
• Patron saints