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Church History (Patristic Era, Ecumenical Councils, the Papacy, and Saints): Saints

The historical development of the Church...Within 400 years after Jesus' passion, Christianity developed from an illegal, persecuted, and underground religion into the sole, official, dominant faith of the Roman Empire.

Historic North American Catholic Newspapers Archive

Finding information on Saints

For basic biographical information on Saints, consult one of these print resources or websites.  To locate specific proclamations of canonization or beatification, try the Vatican website, or consult our theological databases and indexes, either online or, for older proclamations, try our historic print indexes like the Catholic Periodical and Literature Index (CPLI) in the Ireland Library Reference Room.  Ask a librarian for assistance.  In some cases, it will be very difficult to find supporting documents, as they are unpublished, but the historic CPLI should help you locate published documents in sources such as L'Osservatore Romano, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, or English-language publications such as Origins.

Web Resources

Patron Saints and Martyrs

  • Saints (formerly Patron Saints Index)
    Information on topics with patron saints, and profiles of those saints. Profiles have portraits, biographical information, areas of patronage, prayers, links to related sites, readings, etc. The site is cross-indexed.
  • Saints & Angels
    Information on angels and saints, including patron saints, ethnic saints, and a Feastday list hosted by Catholic Online.
  • Saints, Martyrs and Other Holy Persons
    Information linked through the Catholic Information Network.