This is a list of reputed martyrs of Christianity; it includes only notable people with Wikipedia articles. Not all Christian confessions accept every figure on this list as a martyr or Christian—see the linked articles for fuller discussion. In many types of Christianity, martyrdom is considered a direct path to sainthood and many names on this list are viewed as saints in one or more confessions.
Apostolic Age—1st century
edit
According to the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles
edit- Holy Innocents of Bethlehem[1]
- John the Baptist[2]
- Stephen (Protomartyr)[3]
- James, son of Zebedee[4]
- Antipas[5]
According to early sources
edit- James, brother of Jesus[6] - attested by Josephus ca. AD 94
- Simon Peter, first attested by Tertullian about AD 200[7]
- Paul the Apostle, first attested by Ignatius of Antioch probably about AD 110[8]
According to tradition
editAge of Martyrdom—2nd to 4th centuries
edit
According to early Christian tradition
editWith some historical attestation within a hundred years of the event
edit- Polycarp of Smyrna[23]
- Justin Martyr[24]
- Scillitan Martyrs[25]
- Perpetua and Felicity[26]
- Ptolemaeus and Lucius[27]
- Pothinus, bishop of Lyon, with Blandina and several others, the "Martyrs of Lyon and Vienne"[28][29]
- Pope Fabian[30]
- Sebastian[31]
- Shmona and Gurya[32]
- Agnes of Rome[33]
- Felix and Adauctus[34]
- Marcellinus and Peter[35]
- Forty Martyrs of Sebaste[36]
- Euphemia[37]
- Cyprian[38]
- Athenogenes of Pedachtoë[39]
With some historical attestation more than a hundred years after the event
edit- Alban[40]
- Ignatius of Antioch[41]
- Gelasinus[42]
- Pancras[43]
- Valentine[44]
- Benedicta of Monacilioni[45]
- Petronilla[46]
Largely or wholly legendary
editMiddle Ages—5th to 15th-centuries
editThis article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2023) |
- Tewdrig, 6th c.[61]
- Boethius, 6th c.[62]
- Sigismund of Burgundy, 524[63]
- Edwin of Northumbria, 633 in the Battle of Hatfield Chase[64]
- Oswald of Northumbria, 642 in the Battle of Maserfield[65]
- Projectus of Clermont, 676
- Warinus of Poitiers, 677
- Dagobert II of the Franks, 676[66]
- Kilian, Colman, and Totnan, 689[67]
- Fructus, Valentine & Engratia of Segovia, c. 715
- Theofrid of Orange, 728/-32 by Saracens
- Porcarius of Lérins, c. 732 by Saracens
- Boniface, 754.[68]
- Æthelberht II of East Anglia, 794
- Martyrs of Iona, 806 by Vikings
- Gohard of Nantes, 843 by Normans
- Roderick, Eulogius, Perfectus, Laura, Flora and Maria, Aurelius and Natalia, Nunilo and Alodia, and other Martyrs of Cordoba, 850-59
- Bertharius of Monte Cassino, 883 by Saracens
- Edmund of East Anglia, 869.[69]
- Ludmila of Bohemia, 921
- Wiborada of St. Gall, 921 by Magyars
- Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, 935
- King Edward the Martyr, 979.[70]
- Adalbert of Prague, 997 by Old Prussians
- Bruno of Querfurt, 1009
- Jovan Vladimir, 1014
- Olaf II of Norway, 1030 in the Battle of Stiklestad[71]
- Gerard of Csanád, 1046
- Stanislaus of Szczepanów, 1079
- Canute IV of Denmark, 1086
- Magnus Erlendsson of Orkney, 1117
- William of Norwich, 1144 (cult suppressed)[72]
- Eric IX of Sweden, 1161[73]
- Thomas Becket, 1170 - The most famous martyr of the Middle Ages.[74]
- Berard of Carbio and companions, 1220
- Serapion of Algiers, 1240
- Buzád Hahót, 1241
- Peter of Verona, 1252 by Cathars - Canonized 11 months after his death; the fastest in history.
- Martyrs of Sandomierz, 1260
- Antonio Pavoni, 1374 by Waldensians
- Tsar Lazar, 1389[75]
- Nicholas Tavelic, 1391
- John of Nepomuk, 1393[76]
- Jan Huss (1415) and Jerome of Prague (1416) - executed for heresy by the Roman Catholic Council of Constance
- Joan of Arc, 1431, French heroine[77]
- Girolamo Savonarola, 1498
Reformation Era—16th century
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2016) |
- Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos, 1523, burned at the stake, early Lutheran martyrs
- Jan de Bakker, 1525, burned at the stake
- Martyrs of Tlaxcala, 1527-1529
- Felix Manz, 1527
- Patrick Hamilton, 1528, burned at the stake, early Lutheran martyr
- George Blaurock, 1529
- Thomas More, 1535, executed
- John Fisher, 1535[78]
- William Tyndale, 1535
- Carthusian Martyrs, 1535–1537
- Arthur of Glastonbury, 1539
- Margaret Pole, 1541
- Juan de Padilla, Spanish missionary to New Mexico, 1542
- Mannar Catholic martyrs (1544)
- Anne Askew, 1546
- George Wishart, 1546
- Luis de Cancer, Spanish missionary to La Florida, 1549
- Lady Jane Grey, 1554
- Hugh Latimer, 1555
- Nicholas Ridley, 1555
- Rowland Taylor, 1555
- John Hooper, 1555
- John Rogers, 1555
- William Hunter, 1555
- Lawrence Saunders, 1555
- Thomas Cranmer, 1556
- Guido de Bres, 1567
- Dirk Willems, 1569
- The Fifty Two Martyrs of Brazil, 1570-1571, including:
- Inácio de Azevedo, 1570
- Pero Dias, 1571
- Martyrs of Gorkum, 1572, including:
- Edmund Campion, 1581
- Margaret Ball, 1584
- The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, various dates
Modern Era—17th to 21st centuries
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2022) |
- Martyrs of Japan, 1597-1639, (see also Kakure Kirishitan)
- Francis Taylor, 1621
- Ketevan the Martyr, 1624
- Vietnamese Martyrs, 1625 - 1886
- Magdalene of Nagasaki, 1634
- Lorenzo Ruiz, 1637
- Canadian Martyrs, North American Martyrs, 1642–1649
- Arthur Bell, 1643
- Martyrs of Natal 1645, including:
- Isaac Jogues, 1646
- John de Britto, 1647–1693, born in Portugal and beheaded in India
- Francis Ferdinand de Capillas, 1648, missionary to China
- Diego Luis de San Vitores, and Pedro Calungsod, 1672
- Feodosia Morozova, 1675, Russian Old Believer
- Oliver Plunkett, 1681, Archbishop of Armagh
- Felipe Songsong, 1685
- Salem Witch Trials, 1692
- Devasahayam Pillai, 1712-1752
- Constantin Brâncoveanu, 1714
- Jean-Pierre Aulneau, Jean Baptiste de La Vérendrye, and 19 other voyageurs, 1736
- Vicente Liem de la Paz, 1773
- Luís Jayme, Spanish missionary to Alta California, 1775
- Cosmas of Aetolia, 1779
- Francisco Garcés, Spanish missionary to Alta California, 1781
- Martyrs of Compiegne, 1794
- Andrés Quintana, Spanish missionary to Alta California, 1812
- Chinese Martyrs (various Christian denominations), 19th and 20th centuries
- Pedro Marieluz Garces, 1825
- Tārore, 1836
- Andrew Dung-Lac, 1839, Vietnamese Catholic
- Joseph Smith, 1844[79]
- Hyrum Smith, 1844
- Korean Martyrs, 1839, 1846, 1866
- Peter Chanel, 1841
- Andrew Kim Taegon, 1846
- Marcus Whitman, Narcissa Whitman, and companions, 1847
- The Massabki Brothers, 1860
- Lucy Yi Zhenmei, one of the 19th century Chinese Catholic Martyrs, 1862
- Thomas Baker, 1867, English missionary killed and eaten, Fiji
- Martyrs of the Paris Commune, 1871
- Martyrs of Uganda, 1885–1887
- Victor Emilio Moscoso Cárdenas, 1897
- Amandina of Schakkebroek, 1900
- Maria Goretti, 1902, died defending herself from being raped
- Karolina Kózka, 1914
- Armenian Martyrs, 1915-1923[80]
- Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna, 1918
- Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Family, 1918
- Nun Barbara (Yakovleva), 1918
- James Coyle, 1921
- Gregory of Cydonia, 1922
- Manuel Gómez González, 1924
- Adílio Daronch, 1924
- Saints of the Cristero War 1926–1927, including:
- Miguel Pro, 1927
- Cristóbal Magallanes Jara, 1927
- Mateo Correa Magallanes, 1927
- Toribio Romo González, 1928
- Manche Masemola, 1913–1928
- José Sánchez del Río 1928
- Albertina Berkenbrock, 1931
- Innocencio of Mary Immaculate, 1934
- John and Betty Stam, 1934
- Antonia Mesina, 1935
- Bartolome Blanco Marquez, 1936
- Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War 1934, 1936–1939
- Alexander Hotovitzky, 1937
- Peter of Jesus Maldonado, 1937
- Paul Schneider (pastor), 1939
- Martyrs of Songkhon, 1940
- Maximilian Kolbe, 1941, murdered in Auschwitz
- Benigna Cardoso da Silva, 1941
- Edith Stein, 1942, murdered in Auschwitz
- Gorazd, 1942, Bishop of Prague
- Lucian Tapiedi, 1942
- Franz Jägerstätter, 1943
- Sophie Scholl, 1921-1943, a devout Lutheran executed by the Nazis for her anti-Nazi activism
- Maria Restituta Kafka, 1943
- Józef and Wiktoria Ulma with seven children, 1944
- Giuseppe Beotti, 1944
- Anna Kolesárová, 1944
- Dusty Miller, 1945, a Methodist layman killed in a World War II Japanese administered POW camp in Thailand
- Marcel Callo, 1945
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1945, Lutheran pastor and member of the German Resistance
- Rolando Rivi, fourteen-year-old seminarian, 1945
- Peter To Rot, 1945
- Vincentas Borisevičius, 1946
- Martyrs of Albania, 1945-1974
- Theodore Romzha, 1947, Ruthenian Eparch of Mukachevo
- Nykyta Budka, 1949, Ukrainian Bishop of Canada, died in Soviet gulag
- Beda Chang, 1951
- Alberto Hurtado, 1952
- Francis Xavier Ford, 1952
- Petro Pavlo Oros, 1953
- Mečislovas Reinys, 1953
- Martyrs of Laos, 1954-1970
- Zdenka Cecilia Schelingová, 1955
- Jim Elliot, 1956
- Nate Saint, 1956, killed while attempting to evangelize the Waodani people
- Ed McCully, 1956
- Pete Fleming, 1956
- Roger Youderian, 1956
- Pierina Morosini, 1957
- Veronica Antal, 1958
- Esther John 1929–1960, Found Killed in Chichawatni commemorated at Westminster Abbey.
- Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta, 1964
- Martin Luther King Jr., Baptist minister, theologian, civil rights leader, 1968
- Wang Zhiming, 1973, Chinese pastor, publicly executed
- Martyrs of La Rioja, 1976
- Janani Jakaliya Luwum, 1977, Archbishop of Uganda
- Abuna Theophilos, 1979, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
- Gudina Tumsa, 1979, Ethiopian theologian
- Óscar Romero, 1980, Archbishop of San Salvador
- Luís Espinal Camps, 1980, Jesuit priest
- Ita Ford, 1980
- Maura Clarke, 1980
- Dorothy Kazel, 1980
- Jean Donovan, 1980
- Stanley Rother, 1981
- Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos, 1982[81]
- Jerzy Popiełuszko, 1984
- Santa Scorese, 1991
- Marta Obregón Rodríguez, 1992
- Lindalva Justo de Oliveira, 1993
- Martyrs of Algeria, 1994-1996
- Rani Maria Vattalil, 1995
- 19 martyrs of Algeria, 1996
- Graham Staines, 1999, in India[82]
- Kosheh Martyrs, 1998–2000, Egypt
- Maria Laura Mainetti, 2000, Catholic nun murdered in a satanic ritual[83]
- Rufus Halley, 2001
- David Paget, 2001
- Martin Burnham, 2002
- Mary Stachowicz, 2002
- Dorothy Mae Stang, 2005[84]
- Andrea Santoro, 2006
- Fabianus Tibo, 2006
- Leonella Sgorbati, 2006
- Ragheed Ganni and companions, 2007
- Paulos Faraj Rahho, 2008, Chaldean Archeparch of Mosul
- Nicholas Pillai Pakiaranjith, 2008
- 2008 Kandhamal violence, 2008
- Vivian Uchechi Ogu, 2009
- Nag Hammadi martyrs, Egypt 2010
- Baghdad martyrs, 2010
- Luigi Padovese, 2011
- Shahbaz Bhatti, 2011
- Nigerian martyrs, 2012
- Frans van der Lugt, 2014
- Christians (ن) martyred by ISIL, 2014-2019
- 21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya, 2015
- Akash Bashir, 2015
- Jacques Hamel, Normandy 2016
- Cairo martyrs, 2016
- Alexandria martyrs, 2017
- Sutherland Springs martyrs, 2017
- John Allen Chau, 2018
- Sri Lankan martyrs, 2019
- Owo martyrs, 2022
- Plateau martyrs, 2023
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Matthew 2:16–18
- ^ Matthew 14:1–12
- ^ Acts 7:54–60
- ^ Acts 12:1–2
- ^ Revelation 2:13
- ^ Lyons, George. Antiquities of the Jews - Book XX, Chapter 9. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ Quintus Septimius Florens, Tertullian. "Prescription Against Heretics Chapter XXXVI". ccel.org. Retrieved 1 June 2015. "Since, moreover, you are close upon Italy, you have Rome, from which there comes even into our own hands the very authority (of apostles themselves). How happy is its church, on which apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood; where Peter endures a passion like his Lord's; where Paul wins his crown in a death like John's[the Baptist]; where the Apostle John was first plunged, unhurt, into boiling oil, and thence remitted to his island-exile."
- ^ Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians, Chapter XII
- ^ The legends surrounding Andrew are discussed in F. Dvornik, "The Idea of Apostolicity in Byzantium and the Legend of the Apostle Andrew", Dumbarton Oaks Studies, IV (Cambridge) 1958.
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Matthew".
- ^ Schaff, Philip (1885). "Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 8". Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
- ^ Farmer, David (2011). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Fifth Edition Revised. Oxford University Press. p. 418. ISBN 978-0199596607.
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Apocrypha".
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Bartholomew".
- ^ "Faith ND:St. James, son of Alphaeus".
- ^ Cross, Frank Leslie; Livingstone, Elizabeth A. (2005). The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3.
- ^ Jones, Terry H (6 January 2009). "Saint Simon the Apostle". Saints.SQPN.com. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ^ "St. Simon of Zealot". Catholic Online. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ^ Pope Shenouda III. The Beholder of God Mark the Evangelist Saint and Martyr, Chapter Seven. Tasbeha.org
- ^ "Encylcopedia Brittanca: Saint Luke".
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Epistles to Timothy and Titus".
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Philemon".
- ^ Henry Wace, Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies, s.v. "Polycarpus, bishop of Smyrna".
- ^ Lebreton, J. (1910). St. Justin Martyr. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ Smith, Clyde Curry. "Speratus", Dictionary of African Christian Biography, 2004
- ^ Foley O.F.M., Leonard. Saint of the Day, (revised by Pat McCloskey O.F.M.), Franciscan Media ISBN 978-0-86716-887-7
- ^ Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome
- ^ Whitehead, Kenneth D. "Witnesses of the Passion", Touchstone Magazine
- ^ "The Letter of the Churchs of Vienna and Lyons to the Churches of Asia and Phrygia", Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University
- ^ Meier, P. Gabriel (1909). . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5.
- ^ Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI (1997). "St. Sebastian". My First Book of Saints. Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate - Quality Catholic Publications. pp. 22–23. ISBN 971-91595-4-5.
- ^ Millar, Fergus (1993). The Roman Near East, 31 B.C.-A.D. 337. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-77886-3.
- ^ "NPNF210. Ambrose: Selected Works and Letters - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". Ccel.org. 2005-06-01. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ "Sts. Felix and Adauctus". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ Amore, Agostino (5 Nov 2008). "Santi Marcellino e Pietro". Santi e Beati. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
- ^ Homilies xix in P.G., XXXI, 507 sqq.
- ^ "St. Euphemia the All-Praised", Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
- ^ Chapman, John. "St. Cyprian of Carthage." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 15 Jan. 2013
- ^ Nicholson, Oliver (2018). "Athenogenes of Pedachthoe". In Nicholson, Oliver (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Oxford University Press. p. 172. ISBN 9780192562463. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ Bede. "Ecclesiastical History of the English People". Internet History Sourcebook. Fordham University. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ Chronicle, from the Latin translation of Jerome, p. 276.
- ^ Butler, Alban (1799). The Lives of the Primitive Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints: Compiled from Original Monuments, and other Authentic Records: Illustrated with the Remarks of Judicious Modern Critics and Historians (3rd ed.). Edinburgh: J. Moir for J. P. Coghlan.
- ^ Hubertus Drobner, Der heilige Pankratius: Leben, Legende und Verehrung 2nd rev. ed. 2005.
- ^ "XVI kalendas Martii Interamnae Via Flaminia miliario ab Urbe Roma LXIII natale Valentini." In J. B. de Rossi, p. 20 (XVI KL. MAR.). See also M. Schoepflin, p. 40: "the original text".
- ^ "St. Benedicta". olmcsi.org. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Kirsch, Johann Peter (1911). . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11.
- ^ Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Afra." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 12 Apr. 2013
- ^ Attwater, Donald (1995) [1965]. Dictionary of Saints (Third ed.). London: Penguin Reference.
- ^ Herbert Thurston (1913). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ "St. Philomena". Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ Mershman, Francis. "St. Vincent." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 12 Feb. 2015
- ^ Two thousand years of Coptic Christianity, Otto Friedrich August Meinardus
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Lucy".
- ^ "Wilgefortis". Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ "Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Lawrence." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 9 February 2013".
- ^ Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Cecilia", The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 24 April 2013.
- ^ "Clugnet, Léon. "St. Catherine of Alexandria." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 1 May 2013". Newadvent.org. 1908-11-01. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
- ^ Kirsch, Johann Peter (1912). . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15.
- ^ Kirsch, Johann Peter (1911). . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11.
- ^ "Saint Sophia". Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
- ^ Löffler, Klemens (1912). . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14.
- ^ "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy". iep.utm.edu. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ "British Museum". BritishMuseum.org. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia". newadvent.org. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ "Historic UK". Historic-UK.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ "Encyclopedia Britannica". britannica.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Encyclopedia Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Mershman, Francis (1907). . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2.
- ^ Phillips, George Edward (1909). . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5.
- ^ Phillips, George Edward (1909). . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5.
- ^ "Encyclopedia Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia". newadvent.org. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Encyclopedia Britannica". britannica.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia". newadvent.org. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ "Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist". stjohndc.org. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia". newadvent.org. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Saint Joan of Arc Virgin, Martyr (1412-1431)
- ^ "Encyclopedia Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ Weimer, Adiran Chastain (February 27, 2017). Barton, John (ed.). "Martyrdom and Religion in North America". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.433. ISBN 978-0-19-934037-8.
- ^ Ghazanchyan, Siranush. "Canonization of the Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide: Message of His Holiness Karekin II". Public Radio of Armenia. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ Pope prays new 20-year-old blessed will inspire young people
- ^ Bearak, Barry (3 September 1999). "Baripada Journal; Forgiving Her Family's Killers, but Not Their Sins". The New York Times.
- ^ Pope Francis declares Catholic sister killed in Satanic ritual a martyr
- ^ Sister Dorothy Stang: a martyr for God’s poor and God’s creation