My last Doctors of the Church post was in 2022, shortly after the addition of St. Irenaeus of Lyons, but is now obsolete, since onJuly 31 of this year, Pope Leo XIV approved the decision to declare St. John Henry Newman as a Doctor of the Church. The formal proclamation has not strictly been made yet, but will presumably be made this year; should it be delayed at some point, I will update this post with any corrections, but we might as well add him already.
'Doctor of the Church' is a special, officially given, liturgical title in Rome's Universal Calendar: it indicates (1) saints in the universal calendar who (2) were and are doctors (i.e., theological teachers) and who (3) have left theological writings that (4) are of extraordinary quality and considerable value for the whole community of the faithful. It originally grew up on its own as applied to a small group of especially important theologians (Athanasius, Basil, Nazianzen, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great). It was later conferred on Thomas Aquinas, and shortly afterward, Bonaventure, in order to recognize that these theologians were, in their own ways and according to the formats of their time, teachers of the Church of the same caliber as the prior Doctors of the Church. It has since been extended outward by official recognition of a theologian as being in the same class. Because of (2), it is traditional not to consider martyrs for the title, despite a number of notable theologians in that category who fit all of the other criteria, because 'martyr' is a higher liturgical title than 'doctor' -- martyrs would never be liturgically given a Mass for doctors, only for martyrs, and thus the title would be otiose. (Irenaeus is still a somewhat peculiar quasi-exception; he is sometimes but not always commemorated as a martyr, for reasons that are not very well known.) (3) is likewise rather restrictive; there have been some excellent theologians who don't qualify because we know of their work only indirectly and not from any writings they left (St. Macrina comes immediately to mind). And, of course, there are extraordinarily important theologians who aren't saints on the calendar (Tertullian, Origen, Theodore Abu-Qurra, Leo XIII).
While the title is, strictly speaking, a liturgical title and an acknowledgement of contribution, it also plays a role as a sort of directory of especially recommended authors for Catholic theology. What follows are various lists in which different kinds of theological periods and overlaps can be observed.
I. By Death Year
(sometimes approximate; year in parentheses is the year they were officially recognized as Doctor of the Church; to show gaps, asterisks indicate approximate length of intervening interval between death years, each asterisk indicating approximately a decade)
202 Irenaeus of Lyons (2022)
1547 Ephrem of Syria
1496 Cyril of Jerusalem
1483 Hilary of Poitiers
1439 Cyril of Alexandria
1293 Leo I
1279 Peter Chrysologus
1164 Bede
1134 John Damascene
1086 Isidore of Seville
1012 Gregory of Narek
833 Hildegard of Bingen
756 Peter Damian
715 Anthony of Padua
677 Bernard of Clairvaux
651 Albert the Great
611 Anselm of Canterbury
591 Catherine of Siena
443 John of Avila
388 Teresa of Avila
340 Lawrence of Brindisi
335 John of the Cross
328 Peter Canisius
314 Bonaventure
310 Robert Bellarmine
294 Thomas Aquinas
255 Francis de Sales
135 John Henry Newman
VII. Various Comments
There are thirty-eight Doctors of the Church. Ten are Eastern (Irenaeus, Hilary, Athanasius, Ephrem, Basil, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen, Cyril of Alexandria, John Damascene, Gregory of Narek); the rest are Western.
There are three Carmelites (Teresa, John of the Cross, and Therese), two Jesuits (Canisius and Bellarmine), three Dominicans (Thomas, Albert, Catherine (Tertiary)), four Franciscans (Anthony, Bonaventure, Lawrence, Francis de Sales (Tertiary)), one Redemptorist (Liguori), one Oratorian (Newman), and five or six Benedictines (Isidore [maybe], Bede, Anselm, Bernard, Hildegard, Peter Damian).
There are twenty bishops, of whom two were Patriarchs of Rome (Leo, Gregory), two Patriarchs of Alexandria (Athanasius, Cyril of Alexandria), two Patriarchs of Constantinople (Nazianzen, Chrysostom), and one Patriarch of Jerusalem (Cyril of Jerusalem). There is no Patriarch of Antioch with the title. There is one priest (Newman) and one deacon (Ephrem). There are four laypersons, all of them women (Hildegard, Catherine, Teresa, Therese), three of whom were nuns (Hildegard, Teresa, Therese).
The period in which the most Doctors of the Church were added most quickly was the period from 1920 to 1931; in those eleven years, five saints were given the title. The Popes who proclaimed the most saints 'Doctor of the Church' were Leo XIII and Pius XI, with four each.
I. By Death Year
(sometimes approximate; year in parentheses is the year they were officially recognized as Doctor of the Church; to show gaps, asterisks indicate approximate length of intervening interval between death years, each asterisk indicating approximately a decade)
202 Irenaeus of Lyons (2022)
****************
368 Hilary of Poitiers (1851)
373 Athanasius
373 Ephrem the Syrian (1920)
379 Basil of Caesarea
387 Cyril of Jerusalem (1883)
390 Gregory Nazianzen
397 Ambrose of Milan
407 John Chrysostom
*
420 Jerome
*
430 Augustine
*
444 Cyril of Alexandria (1883)
450 Peter Chrysologus (1729)
*
461 Leo the Great (1754)
**************
604 Gregory the Great
***
636 Isidore of Seville (1722)
*********
735 Bede (1899)
*
749 John Damascene (1883)
**************************
1003 Gregory of Narek (2015)
******
1072 Peter Damian (1828)
***
1109 Anselm (1720)
****
1153 Bernard of Clairvaux (1830)
*
1179 Hildegard von Bingen (2012)
*****
1231 Anthony of Padua (1946)
****
1274 Thomas Aquinas (1568)
1274 Bonaventure (1588)
1280 Albert the Great (1931)
*********
1379 Catherine of Siena (1970)
*******************
1569 John of Avila (2012)
*
1582 Teresa of Avila (1970)
1591 John of the Cross (1926)
1597 Peter Canisius (1925)
**
1619 Lawrence of Brindisi (1959)
1621 Robert Bellarmine (1931)
1622 Francis de Sales (1877)
****************
1787 Alphonsus Liguori (1871)
**********
368 Hilary of Poitiers (1851)
373 Athanasius
373 Ephrem the Syrian (1920)
379 Basil of Caesarea
387 Cyril of Jerusalem (1883)
390 Gregory Nazianzen
397 Ambrose of Milan
407 John Chrysostom
*
420 Jerome
*
430 Augustine
*
444 Cyril of Alexandria (1883)
450 Peter Chrysologus (1729)
*
461 Leo the Great (1754)
**************
604 Gregory the Great
***
636 Isidore of Seville (1722)
*********
735 Bede (1899)
*
749 John Damascene (1883)
**************************
1003 Gregory of Narek (2015)
******
1072 Peter Damian (1828)
***
1109 Anselm (1720)
****
1153 Bernard of Clairvaux (1830)
*
1179 Hildegard von Bingen (2012)
*****
1231 Anthony of Padua (1946)
****
1274 Thomas Aquinas (1568)
1274 Bonaventure (1588)
1280 Albert the Great (1931)
*********
1379 Catherine of Siena (1970)
*******************
1569 John of Avila (2012)
*
1582 Teresa of Avila (1970)
1591 John of the Cross (1926)
1597 Peter Canisius (1925)
**
1619 Lawrence of Brindisi (1959)
1621 Robert Bellarmine (1931)
1622 Francis de Sales (1877)
****************
1787 Alphonsus Liguori (1871)
**********
1890 John Henry Newman (2025)
1897 Therese of Lisieux (1997)
II. By Birth Year
(often approximate, especially for earlier figures)
130 Irenaeus
1897 Therese of Lisieux (1997)
II. By Birth Year
(often approximate, especially for earlier figures)
130 Irenaeus
****************
293 Athanasius
300 Hilary of Poitiers
306 Ephrem the Syrian
313 Cyril of Jerusalem
*
329 Gregory Nazianzen
330 Basil of Caesarea
337 Ambrose of Milan
*
347 Jerome
349 John Chrysostom
354 Augustine
**
376 Cyril of Alexandria
380 Peter Chrysologus
**
400 Leo I
**************
540 Gregory I
**
560 Isidore of Seville
***********
672 Bede
676 John Damascene
***************************
951 Gregory of Narek
*****
1007 Peter Damian
**
1033 Anselm of Canterbury
*****
1090 Bernard of Clairvaux
1098 Hildegard von Bingen
**********
1195 Anthony of Padua
1206 Albert the Great (although perhaps as early as 1193)
**
1221 Bonaventure
1225 Thomas Aquinas
************
1347 Catherine of Siena
***************
1500 John of Avila
*
1515 Teresa of Avila
1521 Peter Canisius
**
1542 John of the Cross
1542 Robert Bellarmine
*
1559 Lawrence of Brindisi
1567 Francis de Sales
************
1696 Alphonsus Liguori
**********
293 Athanasius
300 Hilary of Poitiers
306 Ephrem the Syrian
313 Cyril of Jerusalem
*
329 Gregory Nazianzen
330 Basil of Caesarea
337 Ambrose of Milan
*
347 Jerome
349 John Chrysostom
354 Augustine
**
376 Cyril of Alexandria
380 Peter Chrysologus
**
400 Leo I
**************
540 Gregory I
**
560 Isidore of Seville
***********
672 Bede
676 John Damascene
***************************
951 Gregory of Narek
*****
1007 Peter Damian
**
1033 Anselm of Canterbury
*****
1090 Bernard of Clairvaux
1098 Hildegard von Bingen
**********
1195 Anthony of Padua
1206 Albert the Great (although perhaps as early as 1193)
**
1221 Bonaventure
1225 Thomas Aquinas
************
1347 Catherine of Siena
***************
1500 John of Avila
*
1515 Teresa of Avila
1521 Peter Canisius
**
1542 John of the Cross
1542 Robert Bellarmine
*
1559 Lawrence of Brindisi
1567 Francis de Sales
************
1696 Alphonsus Liguori
**********
1801 John Henry Newman
*******
1873 Therese of Lisieux
III. By Year of Recognition
[Athanasius, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzen, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great all received it by organically developed custom]
1568 Thomas Aquinas
**
1588 Bonaventure
*************
1720 Anselm of Canterbury
1722 Isidore of Seville
1729 Peter Chrysologus
**
1754 Leo the Great
*******
1828 Peter Damian
1830 Bernard of Clairvaux
**
1851 Hilary of Poitiers
**
1871 Alphonsus Liguori
1877 Francis de Sales
1883 Cyril of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, John Damascene
*
1899 Bede
**
1920 Ephrem the Syrian
1925 Peter Canisius
1926 John of the Cross
1931 Albert the Great, Robert Bellarmine
*
1946 Anthony of Padua
*
1959 Lawrence of Brindisi
*
1970 Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila
**
1997 Therese of Lisieux
*
2012 John of Avila, Hildegard of Bingen
2015 Gregory of Narek
1873 Therese of Lisieux
III. By Year of Recognition
[Athanasius, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzen, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great all received it by organically developed custom]
1568 Thomas Aquinas
**
1588 Bonaventure
*************
1720 Anselm of Canterbury
1722 Isidore of Seville
1729 Peter Chrysologus
**
1754 Leo the Great
*******
1828 Peter Damian
1830 Bernard of Clairvaux
**
1851 Hilary of Poitiers
**
1871 Alphonsus Liguori
1877 Francis de Sales
1883 Cyril of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, John Damascene
*
1899 Bede
**
1920 Ephrem the Syrian
1925 Peter Canisius
1926 John of the Cross
1931 Albert the Great, Robert Bellarmine
*
1946 Anthony of Padua
*
1959 Lawrence of Brindisi
*
1970 Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila
**
1997 Therese of Lisieux
*
2012 John of Avila, Hildegard of Bingen
2015 Gregory of Narek
2022 Irenaeus of Lyons
2025 John Henry Newman
IV. By Number of Years from Death to Recognition
(Color Code, very rough: Patristic Era, Scholastic Era, Counter-Reformation)
IV. By Number of Years from Death to Recognition
(Color Code, very rough: Patristic Era, Scholastic Era, Counter-Reformation)
[Athanasius, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzen, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great all received it by organically developed custom]
1820 Irenaeus of Lyons
1820 Irenaeus of Lyons
1547 Ephrem of Syria
1496 Cyril of Jerusalem
1483 Hilary of Poitiers
1439 Cyril of Alexandria
1293 Leo I
1279 Peter Chrysologus
1164 Bede
1134 John Damascene
1086 Isidore of Seville
1012 Gregory of Narek
833 Hildegard of Bingen
756 Peter Damian
715 Anthony of Padua
677 Bernard of Clairvaux
651 Albert the Great
611 Anselm of Canterbury
591 Catherine of Siena
443 John of Avila
388 Teresa of Avila
340 Lawrence of Brindisi
335 John of the Cross
328 Peter Canisius
314 Bonaventure
310 Robert Bellarmine
294 Thomas Aquinas
255 Francis de Sales
135 John Henry Newman
100 Therese of Lisieux
84 Alphonsus Liguori
V. By Papal Reign of Recognition
225. Pius V
Thomas Aquinas
227. Sixtus V
Bonaventure
243. Clement XI
Anselm of Canterbury
244. Innocent XIII
Isidore of Seville
245. Benedict XIII
Peter Chrysologus
247. Benedict XIV
Leo the Great
252. Leo XII
Peter Damian
253. Pius VIII
Bernard of Clairvaux
255. Pius IX
Hilary of Poitiers
Alphonsus Liguori
Francis de Sales
256. Leo XIII
Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Jerusalem
John Damascene
Bede
258. Benedict XV
Ephrem the Syrian
259. Pius XI
Peter Canisius
John of the Cross
Albert the Great
Robert Bellarmine
260. Pius XII
Anthony of Padua
261. John XXIII
Lawrence of Brindisi
262. Paul VI
Catherine of Siena
Teresa of Avila
264. John Paul II
Therese of Lisieux
265. Benedict XVI
John of Avila
Hildegard of Bingen
266. Francis I
Gregory of Narek
84 Alphonsus Liguori
V. By Papal Reign of Recognition
225. Pius V
Thomas Aquinas
227. Sixtus V
Bonaventure
243. Clement XI
Anselm of Canterbury
244. Innocent XIII
Isidore of Seville
245. Benedict XIII
Peter Chrysologus
247. Benedict XIV
Leo the Great
252. Leo XII
Peter Damian
253. Pius VIII
Bernard of Clairvaux
255. Pius IX
Hilary of Poitiers
Alphonsus Liguori
Francis de Sales
256. Leo XIII
Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Jerusalem
John Damascene
Bede
258. Benedict XV
Ephrem the Syrian
259. Pius XI
Peter Canisius
John of the Cross
Albert the Great
Robert Bellarmine
260. Pius XII
Anthony of Padua
261. John XXIII
Lawrence of Brindisi
262. Paul VI
Catherine of Siena
Teresa of Avila
264. John Paul II
Therese of Lisieux
265. Benedict XVI
John of Avila
Hildegard of Bingen
266. Francis I
Gregory of Narek
Irenaeus of Lyons
267. Leo XIV
John Henry Newman
VI. By Date of Feast
[Feast days without asterisks are the feast days on the current Latin calendar, ignoring local variations; feast days with asterisks are the feast days on some Eastern Catholic, usually Byzantine, calendars, where they differ from the Latin feast days. Many of the saints have feast days that are not here listed, due to local calendars or the calendars of religious orders. The number in square brackets is the number of Doctors celebrated in that month on the Roman Calendar.]
January [5]
1 Basil the Great *
2 Gregory Nazianzen
2 Basil the Great
13 Hilary of Poitiers
14 Hilary of Poitiers *
18 Athanasius of Alexandria *
24 Frances de Sales
25 Gregory Nazianzen *
28 Ephrem the Syrian *
28 Thomas Aquinas
February [2]
18 Leo the Great *
21 Peter Damian
27 Gregory of Narek
March [1]
12 Gregory the Great *
18 Cyril of Jerusalem
April [3]
4 Isidore of Seville
21 Anselm of Canterbury
29 Catherine of Siena
May [3]
2 Athanasius of Alexandria
10 John of Avila
25 Bede
27 Bede *
June [4]
9 Ephrem the Syrian
13 Anthony of Padua
15 Augustine *
27 Cyril of Alexandria
28 Irenaeus of Lyons
July [3]
15 Bonaventure
21 Lawrence of Brindisi
30 Peter Chrysologus
August [3]
1 Alphonsus Liguori
20 Bernard of Clairvaux
28 Augustine
23 Irenaeus of Lyons *
September [5]
3 Gregory the Great
13 John Chrysostom
14 John Chrysostom *
17 Hildegard of Bingen
17 Robert Bellarmine
30 Jerome
October [3]
1 Therese of Lisieux
3 Therese of Lisieux *
9 John Henry Newman
15 Teresa of Avila
November [2]
10 Leo the Great
15 Albert the Great
December [4]
4 John Damascene
7 Ambrose of Milan
14 John of the Cross
21 Peter of Canisius
VII. Various Comments
There are thirty-eight Doctors of the Church. Ten are Eastern (Irenaeus, Hilary, Athanasius, Ephrem, Basil, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen, Cyril of Alexandria, John Damascene, Gregory of Narek); the rest are Western.
There are three Carmelites (Teresa, John of the Cross, and Therese), two Jesuits (Canisius and Bellarmine), three Dominicans (Thomas, Albert, Catherine (Tertiary)), four Franciscans (Anthony, Bonaventure, Lawrence, Francis de Sales (Tertiary)), one Redemptorist (Liguori), one Oratorian (Newman), and five or six Benedictines (Isidore [maybe], Bede, Anselm, Bernard, Hildegard, Peter Damian).
There are twenty bishops, of whom two were Patriarchs of Rome (Leo, Gregory), two Patriarchs of Alexandria (Athanasius, Cyril of Alexandria), two Patriarchs of Constantinople (Nazianzen, Chrysostom), and one Patriarch of Jerusalem (Cyril of Jerusalem). There is no Patriarch of Antioch with the title. There is one priest (Newman) and one deacon (Ephrem). There are four laypersons, all of them women (Hildegard, Catherine, Teresa, Therese), three of whom were nuns (Hildegard, Teresa, Therese).
The period in which the most Doctors of the Church were added most quickly was the period from 1920 to 1931; in those eleven years, five saints were given the title. The Popes who proclaimed the most saints 'Doctor of the Church' were Leo XIII and Pius XI, with four each.
