This is a list of

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

s, venerables, and

Servants of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

from Africa, as recognized by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

or other Christian denominations. These people were born, died, or lived their religious life in any of the states or territories of Africa.

Before the Arab Conquest

In the first centuries of the Church, Africa produced many of her leading lights. The Catholic presence in Africa was weakened by the schism following the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bith ...

which resulted in the separation between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Church, and even more so by the rise of Islam. Following the Arab conquest of northern Africa, the Catholic Church was largely absent from the continent before modern times, although the Coptic, and later Ethiopic, Orthodox Churches remained. The following are some of the notable saints from the first to seventh centuries, though it is a very incomplete list.

Popes

Three of the early popes were either from Africa themselves or children of African immigrants to Rome. All three were from this time period and are traditionally considered saints. They are: * Pope Saint Victor I (r. 189–199) * Pope Saint

Miltiades Miltiades (; grc-gre, Μιλτιάδης; c. 550 – 489 BC), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was a Greek Athenian citizen known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. He was the son of Cimon C ...

(r. 311–314) * Pope Saint

Gelasius I Pope Gelasius I was the bishop of Rome from 1 March 492 to his death on 19 November 496. Gelasius was a prolific author whose style placed him on the cusp between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.The title of his biography by Walter Ullma ...

(r. 492–496)

Doctors

Three of the thirty-five Doctors of the Church were from Africa, all of them from this time period. They are: * Saint

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

, from present-day Algeria * Saint

Athanasius of Alexandria Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

, from present-day Egypt * Saint

Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria ( grc, Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας; cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲕⲩⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲩ ⲁ̅ also ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ; 376 – 444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444 ...

, from present-day Egypt

Writers and theologians

Many of the early writers and theologians had connections with Africa. A partial list would include: * Saint

Mark the Evangelist Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Acco ...

, author of the Gospel that bears his name and founder of the Patriarchate of Alexandria * Saint

Apollos Apollos ( grc-gre, Ἀπολλώς) was a 1st-century Alexandrian Jewish Christian mentioned several times in the New Testament. A contemporary and colleague of Paul the Apostle, he played an important role in the early development of the ch ...

, may be author of the

Epistle to Hebrews The Epistle to the Hebrews ( grc, Πρὸς Ἑβραίους, Pros Hebraious, to the Hebrews) is one of the books of the New Testament. The text does not mention the name of its author, but was traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle. Mos ...

* Saint Ammon the Abbot * Saint

Anatolius of Laodicea Anatolius of Laodicea (early 3rd century – July 3, 283), also known as Anatolios of Alexandria, became Bishop of Laodicea on the Mediterranean coast of Roman Syria in AD 268. He was not only one of the foremost scholars of his day in the physi ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Aurelius The gens Aurelia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome, which flourished from the third century BC to the latest period of the Empire. The first of the Aurelian gens to obtain the consulship was Gaius Aurelius Cotta in 252 BC. From then to ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria ( grc , Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; – ), was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and ...

, author of several works, whose cult in the Latin Rite has been suppressed * Saint

Cyprian of Carthage Cyprian (; la, Thaschus Caecilius Cyprianus; 210 – 14 September 258 AD''The Liturgy of the Hours according to the Roman Rite: Vol. IV.'' New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1975. p. 1406.) was a bishop of Carthage and an early Christ ...

, author of several works * Saint

Didymus the Blind Didymus the Blind (alternatively spelled Dedimus or Didymous) (c. 313398) was a Christian theologian in the Church of Alexandria, where he taught for about half a century. He was a student of Origen, and, after the Second Council of Constantinopl ...

* Saint

Fulgentius of Ruspe Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius, also known as Fulgentius of Ruspe (462 or 467 – 1 January 527 or 533) was North African Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Ruspe, in modern-day Tunisia, during the 5th and 6th century. He has been ca ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Isidore of Pelusium Isidore of Pelusium ( grc-gre, Ἰσίδωρος ὁ Πηλουσιώτης, d. c.450) was born in Egypt to a prominent Alexandrian family. He became an ascetic, and moved to a mountain near the city of Pelusium, in the tradition of the Desert Fat ...

, author of several letters * Saint

Optatus Saint Optatus, sometimes anglicized as St. Optate, was Bishop of Milevis, in Numidia, in the fourth century, remembered for his writings against Donatism. Biography and context Optatus was a convert, as we gather from St. Augustine: "Do we not s ...

, author against Donatism * Saint

Pierius Pierius was a Christian priest and probably head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, conjointly with Achillas. He flourished while Theonas was bishop of Alexandria, and died at Rome after 309. The ''Roman Martyrology'' commemorates him on 4 ...

* Saint

Possidius Possidius (5th century) was a friend of Augustine of Hippo who wrote a reliable biography and an ''indiculus'' or list of his works. He was bishop of Calama in the Roman province of Numidia. Biography The dates of his birth and death are unk ...

, author of a life of St. Augustine * Saint

Quodvultdeus Quodvultdeus (Latin for "what God wills", died 450 AD) was a fifth-century Church Father and Bishop of Carthage who was exiled to Naples. He was known to have been living in Carthage around 407 and became a deacon in 421 AD. He corresponded wi ...

Others

In addition to the categories above, these first centuries gave the Church many other saints, among them: * Saint

Abraham the Poor Saint Abraham the Poor (also Saint Abraham the Child and Abraham the Simple) was a fourth-century Egyptian hermit and a saint. Life Born in the town of Menuf, he became a disciple of Saint Pachomius, who founded cenobitic monasticism, in the Del ...

, of Egypt * Saint Abraham of Alexandria, of Egypt * Saint Achillas of Alexandria, of Egypt * Saint

Adrian of Canterbury Adrian, also spelled Hadrian (born before 637, died 710), was a North African scholar in Anglo-Saxon England and the abbot of Saint Peter's and Saint Paul's in Canterbury. He was a noted teacher and commentator of the Bible. Adrian was born betw ...

, of North Africa * Saints Aizan and Sazan, of Ethiopia * Saint Alexander of Alexandria, of Egypt * Saint

Alypius of Thagaste Alypius of Thagaste was bishop of the Episcopal see, see of Tagaste (in what is now Algeria) in 394. He was a lifelong friend of Augustine of Hippo and joined him in his conversion (in 386; ''Confessions'' 8.12.28) and life in Christianity. He is ...

, of Algeria * Saints Ammon the Martyr and companions, of Egypt * Saint

Anastasius Sinaita Anastasius Sinaita (died after 700), also called Anastasius of Sinai or Anastasius the Sinaite, was a Greek writer, priest and abbot of Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai. Life What little is known about his life is gathered from his own ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Anthony the Great Anthony the Great ( grc-gre, Ἀντώνιος ''Antṓnios''; ar, القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; la, Antonius; ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356), was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is d ...

, of Egypt * Saints Apollonia of Alexandria and companions, of Egypt * Saint

Arcadius of Mauretania Arcadius of Mauretania (died c. 302) is venerated as a saint and martyr. Tradition states that he was a prominent citizen of ''Caesarea'' in Mauretania Caesariensis (present-day Cherchell), who hid away in the countryside to avoid being forced ...

, of Algeria * Saints Arethas, Ruma and companions, of Ethiopia * Saints Armogastes and Saturus, of Tunisia * Saints

Athanasia ''Athanasia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family. ; Species ''Athanasia'' is native to southern Africa. The name is derived from the Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Sout ...

and Andronicus, of Egypt * Saint

Bessarion of Egypt Bessarion of Egypt, also known as Bessarion of Scetis or Bessarion the Great (4th century – 5th century) was an Egyptian Christian monk who lived around the 4th to 5th century in Egypt, wandering in the Nitrian Desert. As a Desert Father, he is ...

* Saint Caecilius, spiritual father to Saint Cyprian of Carthage, of Tunisia * Saint

Cassian of Tangier Saint Cassian of Tangier (or of Tangiers or of Tingis) was a Christian saint of the 3rd century. He is traditionally said to have been beheaded on 3 December, AD 298, during the reign of Diocletian. The ''Passion'' of Saint Cassian is appended to ...

, of Morocco * Saint

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, wh ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Cerbonius Saint Cerbonius ( la, Cerbo; it, San Cerbone, ''San Cerbonio''; died 575 AD) was a bishop of Populonia during the Barbarian invasions. Saint Gregory the Great praises him in Book XI of his ''Dialogues''. Traditions and legends An alternate trad ...

, of North Africa * Saint

Crispina Saint Crispina (died 5 December, 304) was a virgin martyr of Africa who suffered during the Diocletian persecution. She was born at Thagara, a town in the Roman province of Numidia, located in Taoura, Algeria. (The Tabula Peutingeriana calls it ...

, of Algeria * Saint Cucuphas, of Tunisia * Saint Damian of Alexandria, of Egypt * Saint Demetrius of Alexandria, of Egypt * Saint Deogratias of Carthage, of Tunisia * Saints

Denise, Dativa, Leontia, Tertius, Emilianus, Boniface, Majoricus, and Servus Denise (Dionysia, Dionisia), Dativa, Leontia, Tertius, Emilianus, Boniface, Majoricus, and Servus are venerated as martyrs by the Catholic Church. They were killed in the late 5th century during the persecution of Trinitarian Christians in Pro ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Dionysius of Alexandria Dionysius the Great ( grc, Διονύσιος Ἀλεξανδρείας) was the 14th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria from 28 December 248 until his death on 22 March 264. Most information known about him comes from his large surviving correspo ...

, of Egypt * Saints Donatian and companions, of North Africa * Saint

Epenetus of Carthage Epenetus or Epaentus ( el, Ἐπαινετός) is a saint in the Greek Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, considered one of the seventy disciples and may have been the first Bishop of Carthage or Cartagena. In the 16th chapter of St. Pau ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Eugenius of Carthage Saint Eugenius of Carthage was a Christian saint, unanimously elected Bishop of Carthage in 480 to succeed Deogratias. He was caught up in the disputes of his day between Arianism and mainstream Christianity. Biography His episcopal election was ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Fabius In Roman mythology, Fabius was the son of Hercules and an unnamed mother. In "The Life of Fabius Maximus" from the ''Parallel Lives'' by Plutarch, Fabius, the first of his name, was the son of Hercules by a nymph or a woman native to the country, ...

, of Algeria * Saints Felix of Abbir, Cyprian of Unizzibir, and companions, of Libya * Saint

Felix of Hadrumetum Saint Felix of Hadrumetum (died c. 434) was a North African Catholic bishop. He was bishop of Hadrumetum, the current Sousse in Tunisia. and died as a martyr during the persecution by the king of the Vandals, Genseric Gaiseric ( – 25 January ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Felix of Thibiuca Felix ( 303) was a bishop of Thibiuca in Africa who was martyred during the Great Persecution under the Roman emperor Diocletian alongside Audactus, Fortunatus, Januarius, and Septimus. Felix is said to have resisted the command of the loca ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Frumentius Frumentius ( gez, ፍሬምናጦስ; died c. 383) was a Phoenician Christian missionary and the first bishop of Axum who brought Christianity to the Kingdom of Aksum. He is sometimes known by other names, such as Abuna ("Our Father") and ...

, of Ethiopia * Saint

Gaudiosus of Naples Saint Gaudiosus of Naples or Gaudiosus the African ( la, Sanctus Gaudiosus Africanus) was a bishop of Abitina ( Abitine, Abitinia; '' Abitinae article'') in Africa Province during the 5th century AD Abitina was a village near Carthage in prese ...

, of Tunisia *

Saint Isidore of Alexandria Saint Isidore of Alexandria was an early Christian saint. According to Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Isidore of Chios Isidore of Chios was an Egyptian Christian soldier martyred on the island of Chios in 251 during the persecutions ordered by the Roman emperor Decius. His feast day is commemorated on May 14. Life and martyrdom His life is the subject of several ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Isidore of Scété Saint Isidore of Scetes (died ) was a 4th-century A.D. Egyptian Christian priest and desert ascetic. Isidore was one of the Desert Fathers and was a companion of Macarius the Great. John Cassian lists him as the leader of the one of the four mo ...

, of Egypt * Saint John of Egypt, of Egypt * Saint

Julia of Corsica Saint Julia of Corsica ( it, Santa Giulia da Corsica; french: Sainte Julie; co, Santa Ghjulia; la, Sancta Iulia), also known as Saint Julia of Carthage, and more rarely Saint Julia of Nonza, was a virgin martyr who is venerated as a Christia ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Kaleb of Axum Kaleb (), also known as Saint Elesbaan, was King of Aksum, which was situated in modern-day Eritrea and Ethiopia. Procopius calls him "Hellestheaeus", a variant of grc-koi, Ελεσβόάς version of his regnal name, gez, እለ አጽብ� ...

(Elesbaan), of Ethiopia * Saint

Lucius of Cyrene Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...

, of Libya * Saint

Marciana of Mauretania Marciana (also Marciana of Toledo) (died 9 January 304 in Caesarea, Mauretania Caesariensis)Shaw, p. 265 is venerated as a martyr and saint. The Latin account of her martyrdom was written possibly in the 5th century. Marciana's martydom occu ...

, of Algeria * Saint

Macarius of Alexandria Saint Macarius of Alexandria (died 395) was a monk in the Nitrian Desert. He was a slightly younger contemporary of Macarius of Egypt, and is thus also known as Macarius the Younger. Life Macarius was born about the year 300 in Alexandria. He ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Macarius of Egypt Macarius of Egypt, ''Osios Makarios o Egyptios''; cop, ⲁⲃⲃⲁ ⲙⲁⲕⲁⲣⲓ. (c. 300 – 391) was a Christian monk and hermit. He is also known as Macarius the Elder or Macarius the Great. Life St. Macarius was born in Lower Egypt. ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Marcellinus of Carthage Marcellinus of Carthage was a Christian martyr and saint who died in 413. He was secretary of state of the Western Roman Empire under Roman emperor Honorius and a close friend of Augustine of Hippo, as well as a correspondent of Saint Jerome' ...

, of Tunisia * Saints Marcellinus, Vincent, and Domninus, of North Africa * Saint

Marcellus of Tangier Saint Marcellus of Tangier or Saint Marcellus the Centurion ( es, San Marcelo) (c. mid 3rd century – 298 AD) was a Roman centurion who is today venerated as a martyr-saint by the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. His feast day i ...

, of Morocco * Saints Marianus, James, and companions, of Algeria * The Martyrs of the

Plague of Cyprian The Plague of Cyprian was a pandemic that afflicted the Roman Empire from about AD 249 to 262. The plague is thought to have caused widespread manpower shortages for food production and the Roman army, severely weakening the empire during the Crisi ...

in Alexandria, Egypt * The Martyrs of Utica, of Tunisia * Saint

Mary of Egypt Mary of Egypt ( cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ Ⲛⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ; ; c. 344 – c. 421) is an Egyptian saint, highly venerated as a Desert Mother in the Eastern Orthodox and Coptic Churches. The Catholic Church commemorates her a ...

, of Egypt * Saints

Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...

and the

Theban Legion The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Egypt—"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men"—who converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together in 286, acc ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Maximilian of Tebessa Saint Maximilian of Tebessa, also known as Maximilian of Numidia, ( la, Maximilianus; AD 274–295) was a Christian saint and martyr, whose feast day is observed on 12 March. Born in AD 274, the son of Fabius Victor, an official connected to the R ...

, in Algeria * Saint Matthew I of Alexandria, of Egypt * Saint

Monica of Hippo Monica ( – 387) was an early North African Christian saint and the mother of Augustine of Hippo. She is remembered and honored in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, albeit on different feast days, for her outstanding Christian virtues, par ...

, of Algeria * Saint

Moses the Black Moses the Abyssinian (, ar, موسى, cop, Ⲙⲟⲥⲉⲥ; 330 – 405), also known as Abba Moses the Robber, the Ethiopian, and the Strong, was an ascetic monk and priest in Egypt in the fourth century AD, and a notable Desert Father. He is ...

, of Egypt * Saints

Nabor and Felix Nabor and Felix ( ) were Christian martyrs thought to have been killed during the Great Persecution under the Roman emperor Diocletian. A tomb in Milan is believed to contain their relics. Legend In the apocryphal ''"Acts of Saints Nabor and Fe ...

, of Morocco * Saints Nemesian and companions, of Algeria * Saints

Nemesion Saint Nemesion (or Nemesian, Nemesius, Nemesis; died 250) was an Egyptian martyr in Alexandria, Egypt during the persecutions of Christians by the Roman emperor Decius. A group of other Christians were martyred at the same time. His feast day is 19 ...

and companions, of Egypt * Saint

Onuphrius Onuphrius ( el, Ὀνούφριος, Onouphrios; also ''Onoufrios'') lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the 4th or 5th centuries. He is venerated as Saint Onuphrius in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic churches, as Vene ...

, of Egypt * Saint Orsiesius of Tabenna, of Egypt * Saint

Pachomius the Great Pachomius (; el, Παχώμιος ''Pakhomios''; ; c. 292 – 9 May 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, ...

, founder of monasticism, of Egypt * Saint

Pambo Saint Pambo (also known as Pemwah and Bemwah - Όσιος Παμβώ in Greek) (died c. 375) is a Coptic Desert Father of the fourth century. Saint Pambo is venerated by the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Roma ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Pantaenus Saint Pantaenus the Philosopher ( el, Πάνταινος; died c. 200) was a Greeks, Greek theologian and a significant figure in the Catechetical School of Alexandria from around AD 180. This school was the earliest catechism, catechetical school ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Paphnutius the Ascetic Saint Paphnutius the Ascetic (Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲡⲁⲫⲛⲟⲩϯ), also known as Paphnutius the Hermit, was an Egyptian anchorite of the fourth century. He is most famous for his accounts of the lives of many hermits of the Egyptian desert ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Paphnutius of Thebes Paphnutius of Thebes, also known as Paphnutius the Confessor, was a disciple of Anthony the Great and a bishop of a city in the Upper Thebaid in the early fourth century. He is accounted by some as a prominent member of the First Council of Nica ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Paul of Thebes Paul of Thebes (; , ''Paûlos ho Thēbaîos''; ; c. 227 – c. 341), commonly known as Paul the First Hermit or Paul the Anchorite, was an Egyptian saint regarded as the first Christian hermit, who was claimed to have lived alone in the deser ...

, of Egypt * Saints

Perpetua Perpetua and Felicity ( la, Perpetua et Felicitas) were Christian martyrs of the 3rd century. Vibia Perpetua was a recently married, well-educated noblewoman, said to have been 22 years old at the time of her death, and mother of an infant son s ...

, Felicity, and companions, in Tunisia * Saint Peter of Alexandria, of Egypt * Saint Poemon, of Egypt * Saint

Quintian of Rodez Saint Quintian (''Quintianus, Quinctianus, Quintien'') (died ca. 525) was a bishop of Rodez and a bishop of Clermont-Ferrand (''Arvernes'') in the sixth century, and participated in the Councils of Agde (508) and Orleans (511). Life Tradition ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Restituta Saint Restituta (''Santa Restituta of Africa''; died in AD 255 or 304) is a Berber saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. She was said to have been born in Carthage or Teniza (presently Ras Djebel, Tunisia) and ma ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Saizana Saizana (unvocalized Ge'ez: ሠዐዘነ ''śʿzn'') was the brother of King Ezana of Axum, who changed the official religion of the Axumite Kingdom to Christianity. That kingdom abutted the Red Sea. According to the historian Tyrannius Rufinus, ...

, of Ethiopia * Saint Sarmata, of Egypt * Saints

Saturninus Saturninus may refer to: * Lucius Appuleius Saturninus (died 100 BC), tribune, legislator * Gaius Sentius Saturninus, consul 19 BC, military officer, governor * Marcus Aponius Saturninus (1st century AD), governor of Moesia, and partisan of first ...

, Dativus,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, and Companions, of Tunisia * Saint

Serapion of Thmuis Serapion of Nitria, (; ) Serapion of Thmuis, also spelled Sarapion, or Serapion the Scholastic was an early Christian monk and bishop of Thmuis in Lower Egypt (modern-day Tell el-Timai), born in the 4th century. He is notable for fighting along ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Shenoute Shenoute of Atripe, also known as Shenoute the Great or Saint Shenoute the Archimandrite (Coptic language, Coptic: ; (347-465 or 348-466) was the abbot of the White Monastery in Egypt. He is considered a saint by the Oriental Orthodox Churches, ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Simon of Cyrene Simon of Cyrene (, Standard Hebrew ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian Hebrew ''Šimʿôn''; , ''Simōn Kyrēnaios''; ) was the man compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus of Nazareth as Jesus was taken to his crucifixion, according to all three ...

, of Libya * Saints Speratus and companions, of Tunisia * Saint

Thaïs Thaïs or Thais ( el, Θαΐς; flourished 4th century BC) was a famous Greek ''hetaira'' who accompanied Alexander the Great on his campaigns. Likely from Athens, she is most famous for instigating the burning of Persepolis. At the time, Thaï ...

, of Egypt * Saint

Theodorus of Tabennese Theodorus of Tabennese (c. 314 – 368), also known as Abba Theodorus and Theodore the Sanctified was the spiritual successor to Pachomius and played a crucial role in preventing the first Christian cenobitic monastic federation from collapsin ...

, of Egypt * Saints Timothy the Reader and his wife Maura, of Egypt * Saint

Typasius Saint Typasius ( it, San Tipasio) (died 11 January 304) is venerated as a military saint by the Catholic Church. His feast day is 11 January. Legend The ''Passio Typasii'' records that Typasius was a veteran of ''Tigava'' (today El Kherba), in th ...

, of Algeria * Saint Valerian of Abbenza, of Tunisia * Saint

Victor Maurus Victor the Moor (in Latin: Victor Maurus) (born 3rd century in Mauretania; died ca. 303 in Milan) was a native of Mauretania and a Christian martyr, according to tradition, and is venerated as a saint. Life Victor, born into a Christian family, ...

, of Morocco * Saint Victor of Utica, of Tunisia * Saints

Victorian, Frumentius and Companions Saints Victorian, Frumentius and Companions are venerated as Christian martyrs of the Roman Catholic Church. They were killed at Hadrumetum in 484 by the Arian Vandals. Accounts of their martyrdom state that Huneric, King of the Vandals, began p ...

, of Tunisia * Saint

Zeno of Verona Zeno of Verona ( it, Zenone da Verona; about 300 – 371 or 380) was either an early Christian Bishop of Verona or a martyr. He is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Orthodox Church. Life and historicity According to a Veronese au ...

, of Algeria

Modern times

It would be difficult to say who the first saint to be associated with Africa after the Arab conquest would be. Saint

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

famously went on a mission to Egypt in 1219. Saints Berardo, Ottone, Pietro, Accursio, Adiuto, O.F.M., martyrs in Morocco (1220). Saints Daniel Fasanella, Samuele, Angelo, Leone, Niccolò, Ugolino, Domno, O.F.M., martyrs in Morocco (1227). Saint

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the ...

died in Tunisia en route from the Holy Land in 1270. But after the canonization of saints came to be reserved to the Papacy around AD 1000, and especially after the establishment of the Congregation of Rites in 1588, the list of official saints with African connections is more clear.

List of saints

The following is the list of saints, including the year in which they were canonized and the country or countries with which they are associated. * St.

Serapion of Algiers Serapion of Algiers (1179 – 14 November 1240) was an English Catholic Mercedarian priest and martyr. Thomas O'Loughlin says Serapion was Scottish by birth. Serapion is acknowledged as a proto-martyr. He was the first of his Order to merit th ...

, Mercedarian religious and martyr (1728, Algeria) * St.

Anthony Mary Claret Anthony Mary Claret, CMF ( ca, Antoni Maria Claret i Clarà; es, link=no, Antonio María Claret y Clarà; December 23, 1807 – October 24, 1870) was a Spanish Catholic archbishop and missionary, and was confessor of Isabella II of Spain. He fo ...

, Claretian Bishop (1950, Canary Islands) * The

Martyrs of Uganda The Uganda Martyrs are a group of 22 Catholic and 23 Anglican converts to Christianity in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda, who were executed between 31 January 1885 and 27 January 1887. They were killed on orders of Mwang ...

(1964, Uganda). They include: ** St. Charles Lwaanga ** St. Matthias Muluumba ** St. Andrew Kaggwa ** St. Athanasius Bazzekuketta ** St. Gonzaga Goonza ** St. Noe Mawaggali ** St. Luke Baanabakiintu ** St. James Buzaabalyaawo ** St. Gyaviira Musoke ** St. Ambrosio Kibuuka ** St. Anatoli Kiriggwajjo ** St. Achilles Kiwanuka ** St. Kizito ** St. Mbaga Tuziinde ** St. Mugagga Lubowa ** St.Joseph Mukasa ** St. Adolphus Ludigo ** St. Bruno Seruunkuuma ** St. John Mary Muzeeyi ** St. Dennis Ssebuggwaawo Wasswa ** St. Ponsiano Ngoondwe ** St. Mukasa Kiriwawaanvu * St.

Justin de Jacobis Giustino Sebastiano Pasquale de Jacobis, CM (9 October 1800 – 31 July 1860) was an Italian Catholic bishop and member of the Congregation of the Mission who became a Vicar Apostolic in Ethiopia and Eritrea and the Titular Bishop of Nilopolis. ...

, Lazarist Bishop (1975, Ethiopia and Eritrea) * St.

Josephine Bakhita Josephine Margaret Bakhita, (ca. 1869 – 8 February 1947), was a Sudanese-Italian Canossian religious sister who lived in Italy for 45 years, after having been a slave in Sudan. In 2000, she was declared a saint, the first Black woman ...

, Canossian Religious (2000, Sudan) * St.

Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur (or Betancourt) y Gonzáles ( es, Pedro de San José de Betancur y Gonzáles, March 21, 1626 (Tenerife) – April 25, 1667 (Antigua Guatemala), called Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt (''Brother Peter of ...

, layman (2002, Canary Islands) * St. Daniel Comboni, Bishop (2003, Sudan) * St.

Jacques Berthieu Jacques Berthieu (born 27 November 1838 at Polminhac, Cantal, France; died 8 June 1896 at Ambiatibe, Madagascar), was a French Jesuit, priest and missionary in Madagascar. He died during the Menalamba rebellion of 1896. Berthieu was 57 years old. ...

, Jesuit priest and martyr (2012, Madagascar) * St.

José de Anchieta José de Anchieta y Díaz de Clavijo (Joseph of Anchieta) (19 March 1534 – 9 June 1597) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in the second half of the 16th century. A highly influential figure in Brazil's hi ...

, Jesuit priest (2014, Canary Islands)

List of blesseds

* Bl.

Benedict Daswa Benedict Daswa (born Tshimangadzo Samuel Daswa; 16 June 1946 – 2 February 1990), was a South African school teacher and principal. He was given the name of "Samuel" by his parents when he started to attend school and assumed the name "Benedic ...

, layman and martyr (South Africa) * Bl. Agathange de Vendome, Capuchin priest and martyr (Ethiopia) * Bl.

Isidore Bakanja Isidore Bakanja (c. 1887 – 15 August 1909) was a Congolese Catholic layman who suffered martyrdom in 1909 and was beatified on 24 April 1994 by Pope John Paul II. Life Bakanja accepted the Christian faith at eighteen years of age through ...

, layman and martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo) * Bl. Jan Beyzym, Jesuit priest (Madagascar) * Bl.

Lucien Botovasoa Lucien Botovasoa (1908 – 14 April 1947) was a Madagascan Roman Catholic schoolteacher and a professed member from the Secular Franciscan Order. Botovasoa served as a teacher for his entire life and was dedicated to both the religious and secula ...

, layman and martyr (Madagascar) * Bl. Cassien de Nantes, Capuchin priest and martyr (Ethiopia) * Bl. Lorenza Diaz Bolanos, Daughter of Charity martyred in Spain (Canary Islands) * Bl. Michele Fasoli, Franciscan priest and martyr (Ethiopia) * Bl.

Charles de Foucauld Charles Eugène de Foucauld de Pontbriand, Viscount of Foucauld (15 September 1858 – 1 December 1916) was a French soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnographer, Catholic priest and hermit who lived among the Tuareg people in the Sahara in Al ...

, Religious and martyr (Algeria) * Bl.

Joseph Gérard Joseph Gérard (12 March 1831 – 29 May 1914) was a French Roman Catholic priest and a professed member from the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate; he worked in the missions among the Basotho people in Lesotho and the Free State province ...

, priest (Lesotho) * Bl. Jildo Irwa, layman and martyr (Uganda) * Bl.

Jacques-Désiré Laval Jacques-Désiré Laval (18 September 1803 – 9 September 1864) was a French Roman Catholic priest who served in the missions in Mauritius; he was a professed member from the Spiritans. He is known as the "Apostle of Mauritius" due to his tirel ...

, Spiritan priest (Mauritius) * Bl.

Martyrs of Algeria The Martyrs of Algeria were a group of nineteen individuals slain in Algeria between 1994 and 1996 during the Algerian Civil War. They all were priests or professed religious belonging to religious congregations, including seven Trappist Cisterc ...

, Trappists and martyrs (Algeria) * Bl. Samuele Marzorati, Franciscan priest and martyr (Ethiopia) * Bl. Eliza Liduina Meneguzzi, Salesian sister (Ethiopia) * Bl. Ghebre Michael, priest and martyr (Ethiopia) * Bl. Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta, Holy Family Sister and martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo) * Bl. Daudi Okelo, layman and martyr (Uganda) * Bl. Raphael Rafiringa, De La Salle Brother (Madagascar) * Bl. Victoire Rasoamanarivo, laywoman (Madagascar) * Bl.

Jean-Bernard Rousseau Jean-Bernard Rousseau (22 March 1797 – 13 April 1867) was a French people, French Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic professed religious of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools – or the De La Salle Brothers. He assumed th ...

, De La Salle Brother (Reunion) * Bl. Leonella Sgorbati, Consolata Missionary Sister and martyr (Somalia) * Bl.

Francesco Spoto Francesco Spoto (8 July 1924 – 27 December 1964) was an Italian people, Italian Catholic Church, Catholic priest who served in the missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was killed there. He was also a professed member from the Missio ...

, Missionary Servant of the Poor priest and martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo) * Bl. Irene Stefani, Consolata Missionary Sister (Kenya) * Bl.

Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi , OCSO (September 1903 – 20 January 1964) was an Igbo Nigerian priest of the Catholic Church who worked in the Archdiocese of Onitsha, Nigeria, and then became a Trappist monk at Mount Saint Bernard Monaste ...

, Cistercian priest (Nigeria) * Bl. Maria Caterina Troiani, Franciscan sister (Egypt) * Bl. Liberat Weiss, Franciscan priest and martyr (Ethiopia) * Bl.

Francesco Zirano Francesco Zirano (1565 – 25 January 1603) was a Roman Catholic priest from Sardinia and a professed member of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. He is recognized as a martyr in the Catholic Church. Born and raised in Sardinia, he became ...

, Franciscan priest and martyr (Algeria)

List of venerables

* Ven. Zeinab Alif, Poor Clare sister (Sudan) * Ven. Jerzy Ciesielski, layman (Egypt) * Ven. Felix Mary Ghebreamlak, Cistercian priest (Eritrea) * Ven.

Edel Quinn Edel Mary Quinn, (14 September 1907 – 12 May 1944) known as Edel Quinn was an Irish-born Roman Catholic lay-missionary and Envoy of the Legion of Mary to East Africa. Life Born in Kanturk, County Cork, Edel Mary Quinn was the eldest child of ...

, laywoman (Kenya) * Ven. Maria Teresa Scandola, Comboni sister (South Sudan) * Ven. Mary Jane Wilson, Franciscan sister (Madeira) * Ven. Luigi Lo Verde, professed cleric of the Conventual Franciscans (Tunisia) * Ven. Martyrs of Kikwit, Sisters of the Poor and martyrs (Democratic Republic of Congo) ** Ven. Luigia Rosina Rondi, S.d.P.I.P. ** Ven. Alessandra Ghilardi, S.d.P.I.P. ** Ven. Anna Maria Sorti, S.d.P.I.P. ** Ven. Teresa Belleri, S.d.P.I.P. ** Ven. Celeste Maria Ossoli, S.d.P.I.P. ** Ven. Maria Rosa Zorza, S.d.P.I.P. *Ven.

Augustus Tolton John Augustus Tolton (April 1, 1854 – July 9, 1897), baptized Augustine Tolton, was the first Catholic priest in the United States publicly known to be Black. (The Healy brothers, who preceded him, all passed for White.) Tolton was ordaine ...

, former slave and first openly African-American Catholic priest *Ven.

Henriette DeLille Henriette Díaz DeLille, SSF (March 11, 1813 – November 16, 1862) was a Louisiana Creole of color and Catholic nun from New Orleans. Her father was a white man from France, her mother was a "quadroon", and her grandfather came from Spain. She ...

, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family, the second order of Black nuns in the United States *Ven.

Pierre Toussaint Pierre Toussaint (27 June 1766 – June 30, 1853) was a Haitian-American hairdresser, philanthropist, and onetime slave brought to New York City by his owners in 1787. A candidate for sainthood, he was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in ...

, former slave and notable African-American philanthropist in New York City

List of Servants of God

* Servant of God

John Bradburne John Randal Bradburne, OFS (14 June 1921 – 5 September 1979) was an English lay member of the Third Order of Saint Francis, a poet, and warden of the Mutemwa leper colony at Mutoko, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Bradburne was murdered by ZANLA t ...

, Layperson of the Archdiocese of Harare; Member of the Secular Franciscans; Martyr (Zimbabwe) * Servant of God

Teresa Chikaba Teresa Chikaba (Ewe language, Ewe: ''Chicaba'' or ''Chicava'';Juan Carlos Miguel de Paniagua, ''Compendio de la Vida Ejemplar de la Venerable Madre Sor Teresa Juliana de Santo Domingo'' alamanca, 1752c. 1676 – 6 December 1748) was a Ghanaian ...

, West African nun * Servant of God Peter Porekuu Dery, Archbishop of Tamale (Ghana) * Servant of God

Stéphanos II Ghattas Stéphanos II Ghattas ( ar, إسطفانوس الثاني غطاس) (January 16, 1920 – January 20, 2009), was an eparch of the Coptic Catholic Church. From 1986 to 2006 he served as the Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria. He was also a ...

, cardinal (Egypt) * Servants of God Mariano Gichohi and 20 Companions, martyrs under the Mau Mau (Kenya) * Servants of God Marianno Wachira and 26 Companions (d. 1952–1955), Laypeople from the Archdioceses of Nyeri and Nairobi along with the Dioceses of Murang’a and Meru; Catechumens; Professed Religious' of the Consolata Missionary Sisters and the Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Nyeri; Martyrs (Kenya) * Servants of God Daniel George Hyams and Domitilla Maria Rota Hyams, Married Laypersons of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg (South Africa) * Servants of God Michel Kayoya and 43 Companions, martyrs (Burundi) * Servants of God Bernardo de Monroy and two companions, Trinitarian priests and martyrs (Algeria) * Servant of God Vivian Uchechi Ogu, Child of the Diocese Mbaise; Martyr (Nigeria) * Servant of God Maurice Michael Cardinal Otunga (Kenya) * Servants of God

Cyprien and Daphrose Rugamba Cyprien (ca. 1935–1994) and Daphrose Rugamba (ca. 1944–1994) were a married couple from Rwanda, who introduced the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the Emmanuel Community to their country in 1990, and were assassinated in the Rwandan genocide ...

and six companions, martyrs (Rwanda) * Servant of God Bernadeta Mbawala, nun (Tanzania) * Servant of God

Julius Kambarage Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian anti-colonial activist, politician, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as president from 1962 to 1964, af ...

, first president of

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

* Servant of God Mario Bortoletto, Priest of the Diocese of Treviso; Fidei Donum Missionary in the Diocese of Ebolowa; Associate of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (Cameroon) * Servants of God Luisa Mabalane Mafo and 22 Lay Companions from the Catechetical Center of Guiua, Married Catechists, Catechumens, Young Laypersons and Children of the Diocese of Imhanbane; Martyrs (Mozambique) * Servant of God Sergio Sorgon (Sergio of Saint Joseph) (1938–1985), Professed Priest of the Discalced Carmelites (Madagascar) * Servant of God

Teresa Kearney Teresa Kearney (Mother Kevin) CBE (1875–1957) was a teacher, Franciscan Sister, and missionary, who founded a new Franciscan order. Born in Arklow, Ireland on April 28, 1875, she became a Junior Assistant Mistress at 17 and taught in Essex, E ...

(Mary Kevin) (1875–1957), Founder of the Little Sisters of Saint Francis and the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa (Uganda) * Servant of God Manuel (prob. 1604–1686), Layperson of the Archdiocese of Mercedes-Luján (Angola) * Servant of God Christophe Munzihirwa Mwene Ngabo (1926–1996), Professed Priest of the Jesuits; Archbishop of Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo) * Servant of God

Jeremy Joyner White Jeremy Joyner White (18 May 1938 – 23 April 1990) was a British scholar. His secondary education took place at Wellington College. He went on to study at Cambridge University where in 1959 he obtained a bachelor's degree in History and Moder ...

, Layperson of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (Nigeria) * Servant of God Aloÿs Kobès, Professed Priest of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritians); Apostolic Vicar of Senegambia; Founder of the Daughters of the Holy Heart of Mary and the Brothers of Saint Joseph (Senegal) * Servant of God Floribert Bwana Chui bin Kositi (1981–2007), Layperson of the Archdiocese of Goma; Member of the Saint Egidio Community; Martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo) * Servant of God Declan O'Toole (1971–2002), Priest of the Mill Hill Missionaries; Martyr (Uganda) * Servant of God Giosuè dei Cas (1880–1932), Professed Religious of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (South Sudan) * Servants of God Manuel Armindo de Lima and 3 Companions (d. 1982), Priest of the Missionary Society of the Good News; Laypersons of the Diocese of Viana; Postulant of the Mercedarian Sisters of Charity; Catechist (Angola) * Servant of God Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka (1937–1999), Archbishop of Jos (Nigeria) * Servant of God Göbou Yaza (d. 1928?), Young Layperson of the Diocese of N’Zérékoré; Catechumen; Martyr (Guinea) * Servant of God

Franziska May Franziska may refer to: People * Franziska (given name) * Patrick Franziska (born 1992), German table tennis player Characters * Franziska von Karma, character in the ''Ace Attorney'' series Other uses * ''Franziska'' (play), a 1912 play ...

(Reinolda) (1901–1981), Professed Religious of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing (South Africa) * Servant of God Robert Naoussi (ca. 1940–1970), Layperson of the Archdiocese of Douala (Cameroon) * Servant of God Alexandre Toé (1967–1996), Professed Priest of the Camillians (Burkina Faso) * Servant of God Aloysius Ngobya (1896-1986), Msgr, Priest of Masaka Diocese (Uganda) * Servant of God Amedeo Byabali (1908-1979), nun of the Daughters of Mary, Masaka. (Uganda) *Servant of God

Julia Greeley Julia Greeley, OFS (c. 1833-48 – 7 June 1918), was an African-American philanthropist and Catholic convert. An enslaved woman later freed by the US government, she is known as Denver's "Angel of Charity" because of her aid to countless families ...

, philanthropist and Secular Franciscan *Servant of God

Thea Bowman Thea Bowman, FSPA (born Bertha Elizabeth Bowman; December 29, 1937 – March 30, 1990) was a Black Catholic religious sister, teacher, musician, liturgist and scholar who made major contributions to the ministry of the Catholic Church toward Af ...

, famed liturgist and Black nun from Mississippi *Servant of God

Mary Elizabeth Lange Mary Elizabeth Lange, OSP (born Elizabeth Clarisse Lange; c. 1789 – February 3, 1882) was a Black Catholic religious sister who founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first African-American religious congregation. She was also, via the ...

, first known African-American nun and founder of the

Oblate Sisters of Providence The Oblate Sisters of Providence (OSP) is a Roman Catholic women's religious institute, founded by Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, OSP, and Rev. James Nicholas Joubert, SS in 1828 in Baltimore, Maryland for the education of girls of African des ...

, the first order of Black nuns in the United States

Other proposed causes

Others have been proposed for beatification, and may have active groups supporting their causes. These include: * Anna Ali, religious in the order of The Most Holy Eucharist and reported mystic. (Kenya) The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret has appointed a task force to investigate the life of the late Sr. Anna Ali. Hundreds of pilgrims visit her burial place every year to commemorate the nun who received messages from Our Lord for 25 years. The nun is reported to have photographed Jesus. Her story has shocked many believers. Her messages have been approved and published.

References

Citations

Sources

"Hagiography Circle"
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Africa saints, List of *

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

Catholic Church in Africa *

*Africa

Before the Arab Conquest

Popes

Doctors

Writers and theologians

Others

Modern times

List of saints

List of blesseds

List of venerables

List of Servants of God

Other proposed causes

See also

References

Citations

Sources