Female Saints

Vote for Your Favourite Female Saints

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

 1 
Mother Teresa
(Roman Catholic Nun, Founder and Active Member of the ‘Missionaries of Charity’)
Mother Teresa
18
Birthdate: August 26, 1910
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Skopje, North Macedonia
Died: September 5, 1997

An Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and a missionary, Mother Teresa was the founder of Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation. She was both an admired and controversial figure and was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. While she was admired by many for her charitable work, she also earned criticism for her stance against abortion and contraception.

 2 
Joan of Arc
(Best Remembered as 'The Heroine of France' for Her Role During the 'Hundred Years' War' Against England)
Joan of Arc
11
Birthdate: January 6, 1412
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Domrémy-la-Pucelle, France
Died: May 30, 1431

Considered a great saint and a symbol of French unity, Joan of Arc led the French army to the watershed victory over the English forces in Orleans in 1429. In 1430, she was captured by the Anglo-Burgundians while defending Compiegne. She was burned at the stake at the age of 19 in 1431. Pope Benedict XV canonised her in 1920.

 3 
Mary Magdalene
(Disciple of Jesus Who was a Witness to His Crucifixion and Resurrection)
Mary Magdalene
6
Birthplace: Magdala, Israel

Mary Magdalene was an important biblical figure. It is said that she witnessed many of Jesus' miracles and life events, including his crucifixion and the subsequent resurrection. Since it is claimed that Magdalene was a prostitute, she has been viewed as the patroness of wayward women in the modern era. Her life has inspired several important works of art.

 4 
Hildegard of Bingen
(German Writer, Composer, Philosopher and Mystic Considered to be One of the Best-Known Composers of Sacred Monophony)
Hildegard of Bingen
9
Birthdate: 1098 AD
Birthplace: Bermersheim vor der Höhe, Germany
Died: September 17, 1179

Hildegard of Bingen was a German writer, composer, Christian mystic, visionary, philosopher, polymath, and Benedictine abbess of the High Middle Ages. Apart from being the most-recorded composers of sacred monophony in modern history, Hildegard of Bingen is also widely regarded as the founder of scientific natural history.

 5 
Thérèse of Lisieux
(Roman Catholic Nun Known as the ‘Little Flower of Jesus’)
Thérèse of Lisieux
6
Birthdate: January 2, 1873
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Alençon, France
Died: September 30, 1897
French nun Thérèse of Lisieux, known as "The Little Flower of Jesus,” became one of the most well-known Catholic saints ever. She became the youngest Doctor of the Church and the third woman to receive the honor. A devoted Carmelite, she died of tuberculosis at age 24.
 6 
Clare of Assisi
(Italian Saint and One of the First Followers of ‘Francis of Assisi’)
Clare of Assisi
4
Birthdate: July 16, 1194
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Assisi, Italy
Died: August 11, 1253
Clare of Assisi, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, ran away from home to escape marriage and received her vows instead. She later formed the Poor Clares. She was made the patron saint of television, as she had once seen the Mass on the walls of her room.
 7 
Deborah
(Prophetess)
Deborah
5
Birthdate: 1107 AD
Birthplace: Israel
Died: 1067 AD

Deborah was an Israeli prophetess and a judge of Israel who made her judgments underneath a date palm tree between Bethel in the Tribe of Ephraim and Ramah in Benjamin. According to the Bible, Deborah was the only female judge in pre-monarchic Israel.

 8 
Saint Barbara
(Christian Saint and Martyr)
Saint Barbara
4
Birthdate: 0273 AD
Birthplace: Nicomedia
Died: November 30, 0306

Saint Barbara was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. She is also known as the Great Martyr Barbara in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Not much is known about her life and work as there is no mention of her in the authentic early Christian writings. She is considered one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers in Roman Catholicism. 

 9 
Juana Inés de la Cruz
(Mexican Writer, Philosopher, Composer and Poet of the 'Baroque Period')
Juana Inés de la Cruz
4
Birthdate: November 12, 1648
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Tepetlixpa, Mexico
Died: April 17, 1695

Mexican nun Juana Inés de la Cruz was one of the finest authors of the Latin American colonial era. Initially the lady-in-waiting of Mexico’s viceroy, she later took her vows. She built a huge library and penned masterpieces such as the poem Primero sueño and the religious drama El divino Narciso.

 10 
Maria Goretti
(Regarded as a Roman Catholic saint and martyr)
Maria Goretti
6
Birthdate: October 16, 1890
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Corinaldo, Italy
Died: July 6, 1902
 11 
Edith Stein
(Philosopher, Christian Nun and One of the Six 'Patron Saints of Europe')
Edith Stein
5
Birthdate: October 12, 1891
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Wrocław, Poland
Died: August 9, 1942

Edith Stein was a German Jewish philosopher who studied at the University of Freiburg and completed her dissertation on empathy. Always interested in Catholicism, she read the autobiography of the mystic Teresa of Ávila and converted to Christianity, and became a Discalced Carmelite nun. She was killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp and is canonized as a martyr.

 12 
Julian of Norwich
(English mystic)
Julian of Norwich
4
Birthdate: November 8, 1342
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Norwich, England
Died: 1416 AD
 13 
Faustyna Kowalska
(Polish Catholic Religious Sister and Mystic)
Faustyna Kowalska
4
Birthdate: August 25, 1905
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Głogowiec, Poland
Died: October 5, 1938

Polish Catholic nun Faustyna Kowalska is remembered for her diary, which recorded her multiple visions of Jesus and was later published. She later got an artist to paint the Image of the Divine Mercy, based on her visions. Known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy, she was canonized as a saint in 2000.

 14 
Monica of Hippo
(Christian saint and the mother of Augustine of Hippo)
Monica of Hippo
5
Birthdate: 0332 AD
Birthplace: Souk Ahras, Algeria
Died: August 27, 0387
 15 
Cheng Yen
(Buddhist nun, Philanthropist)
Cheng Yen
10
Birthdate: May 14, 1937
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Taichung City, Taiwan
 16 
Rose of Lima
(Patron Saint of Peru and South America)
Rose of Lima
4
Birthdate: April 20, 1586
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lima, Peru
Died: August 24, 1617

Rose of Lima is revered as the patron saint of Peru. Legend has it that she had chopped off her hair and damaged her skin to avoid getting married. A member of the Dominican Order, she was the first from the Americas to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

 17 
Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia
(Saint)
Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia
12
Birthdate: June 10, 1897
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Peterhof, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: July 17, 1918
 18 
Elizabeth Ann Seton
(American Catholic Religious Sister)
Elizabeth Ann Seton
4
Birthdate: August 28, 1774
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: January 4, 1821
Born to a physician, Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American to be canonized by the Catholic Church, helped establish the first charity in New York. Part of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, she pioneered the Catholic schooling system, establishing the first Catholic girls’ school in the U.S. 
 19 
Elizabeth of Hungary
(Saint and Princess of the Kingdom of Hungary)
Elizabeth of Hungary
4
Birthdate: July 7, 1207
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bratislava, Slovakia
Died: November 17, 1231

Elizabeth, the daughter of Hungarian king Andrew II, was married at 14 but lost her husband to a plague in Italy at 20. She then joined the Third Order of St. Francis and opened a hospital for the poor. She is revered as the patron saint of the homeless.

 20 
Samaritan woman at the well
(Saint)
Samaritan woman at the well
5
Birthplace: Samaria, Israel
Died: 0066 AD
 21 
Sister Lúcia
(Religious sister)
Sister Lúcia
5
Birthdate: March 28, 1907
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Aljustrel, Portugal
Died: February 13, 2005
 22 
Kateri Tekakwitha
(Saint)
Kateri Tekakwitha
6
Birthdate: 1656 AD
Birthplace: Auriesville, New York, United States
Died: April 17, 1680
Kateri Tekakwitha was a Catholic saint known for her virtue of chastity and mortification of the flesh. She was the first North American Indian canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Tekakwitha was known as “Lily of the Mohawks” in recognition of her kindness. Pope Benedict XVI recognized Tekakwitha as a saint and she was later canonized.
 23 
Josephine Bakhita
(Saint)
Josephine Bakhita
6
Birthdate: June 10, 1869
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Darfur, Sudan
Died: February 8, 1947
 24 
Bridget of Sweden
(Swedish Nun and the Founder of the 'Bridgettines' Monastic Religious Order)
Bridget of Sweden
4
Birthdate: 1303 AD
Birthplace: Uppland, Sweden
Died: July 23, 1373

One of the six patron saints of Europe, Bridget of Sweden is also the most celebrated saint of her native land. Married with eight children, she gave up worldly life after her husband’s death, establishing the Order of the Most Holy Savior (later the Bridgettines). With an ever smiling face, she bravely faced all problems, breathing her last in Rome.

 25 
Saint Ursula
(Saint)
Saint Ursula
5
Birthplace: Great Britain, England
Died: November 21, 0383
 26 
Alexandra Feodorovna
(Empress Consort of Russia (1894 - 1917))
Alexandra Feodorovna
12
Birthdate: June 6, 1872
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Darmstadt, Germany
Died: July 17, 1918

Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Emperor Nicholas II, was the last Russian tsarina and reigned from 1894 to 1917. She suffered from hemophilia. Alexandra and her entire family were murdered by the Bolshevik revolutionaries. In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized her as Saint Alexandra the Passion Bearer.

 27 
Amy Carmichael
(Writer)
Amy Carmichael
5
Birthdate: December 16, 1867
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Millisle, County Down, Ireland
Died: January 18, 1951
 28 
Genevieve
(Patroness Saint of Paris)
Genevieve
4
Birthdate: 0419 AD
Birthplace: Nanterre, France
Died: 0512 AD

Genevieve is the patron saint of Paris in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. Not much is known about her life, but it is believed that she became a nun as a teenager after deciding to dedicate her life to Christianity. She had frequent visions of heavenly angels and saints and was particularly devoted to Saint Denis. 

 29 
Margaret Mary Alacoque
(Nun)
Margaret Mary Alacoque
5
Birthdate: July 22, 1647
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Verosvres, France
Died: October 17, 1690
 30 
Princess Ileana of Romania
(Nun)
Princess Ileana of Romania
6
Birthdate: January 5, 1909
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bucharest, Romania
Died: January 21, 1991
 31 
Katharine Drexel
(American Heiress, Philanthropist, Religious Sister, and Educator)
Katharine Drexel
4
Birthdate: November 26, 1858
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: March 3, 1955

Roman Catholic saint Katharine Drexel, the founder of Xavier University, was born to Philadelphia banker Francis Anthony Drexel and picked up he philanthropic habits from her father. In spite of inheriting a massive fortune, she devoted her life to building schools and churches for the racially underprivileged.

 32 
Gianna Beretta Molla
(Italian Roman Catholic Pediatrician)
Gianna Beretta Molla
6
Birthdate: October 4, 1922
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Magenta, Italy
Died: April 28, 1962

Gianna Beretta Molla was a Roman Catholic pediatrician, canonized as a saint for saving her unborn child’s life at the expense of her own. Although she knew that the removal of only the fibroma would endanger her life, she refused have an abortion, thus upholding the Roman Catholic doctrine that even an unborn child has a fundamental right to life.

 33 
Benedetta Carlini
(Nun)
Benedetta Carlini
4
Birthdate: 1591 AD
Birthplace: Pescia, Italy
Died: 1661 AD
 34 
Dymphna
Dymphna
4
Birthplace: Ireland
 35 
Adela of Normandy
(Daughter of William I the Conqueror)
Adela of Normandy
3
Birthdate: 1067 AD
Birthplace: Normandy, France
Died: March 8, 1137
 36 
Pema Chodron
(American Tibetan Buddhist)
Pema Chodron
6
Birthdate: July 14, 1936
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

Pema Chodron is an American Tibetan Buddhist and an ordained nun. Born as Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in New York, she began studying with Tibetan Buddhist Lama Chime Rinpoche as a young woman. She eventually became a fully ordained nun or bhikṣuṇī. She is the author of several dozen books and audiobooks. She is the principal teacher at Gampo Abbey. 

 37 
Saint Veronica
(Saint)
Saint Veronica
5
Birthplace: Caesarea Philippi
 38 
Sarada Devi
(Saint)
Sarada Devi
5
Birthdate: December 22, 1853
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Joyrambati, Bengal, British India
Died: July 20, 1920
 39 
Elizabeth Barton
(English Catholic Nun)
Elizabeth Barton
3
Birthdate: 1506 AD
Birthplace: Aldington Frith , England
Died: April 20, 1534

Elizabeth Barton was an English Catholic nun best remembered for her prophecies. Although her prophecies, which were fairly accurate, made her popular, they eventually led to her death. Her prophecy against Henry VIII was deemed fake and she was executed for treason. Barton continues to be revered by churches like the Anglican Catholic Church.

 40 
Scholastica
(Saint)
Scholastica
4
Birthdate: March 2, 0480
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Nursia, Umbria, Italy
Died: February 10, 0543
 41 
Clotilde
(Princess)
Clotilde
4
Birthdate: 0474 AD
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Died: 0545 AD
 42 
Zita
(Saint)
Zita
4
Birthdate: 1212 AD
Birthplace: Tuscany, Italy
Died: April 27, 1272
 43 
Joan of France, Duchess of Berry
(Queen)
Joan of France, Duchess of Berry
3
Birthdate: April 23, 1464
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Nogent-le-Roi, France
Died: February 4, 1505
 44 
Saint Rosalia
(Saint)
Saint Rosalia
5
Birthdate: 1130 AD
Birthplace: Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily
Died: 1166 AD
 45 
Jane Frances de Chantal
(Saint)
Jane Frances de Chantal
5
Birthdate: January 28, 1572
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Dijon, Burgundy, France
Died: December 13, 1641
 46 
Cristina Scuccia
(Singer, Nun)
Cristina Scuccia
6
Birthdate: August 19, 1988
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Vittoria, Italy
 47 
Christina the Astonishing
(Saint)
Christina the Astonishing
4
Birthdate: 1150 AD
Birthplace: Brustem, County of Loon
Died: July 24, 1224
 48 
Adelaide of Italy
(Empress)
Adelaide of Italy
3
Birthdate: 0931 AD
Birthplace: Orbe, Switzerland
Died: February 6, 0999
 49 
Mary of Jesus of Ágreda
(Franciscan Abbess and Spiritual Writer Known for Her Extensive Correspondence with King Philip IV of Spain)
Mary of Jesus of Ágreda
3
Birthdate: April 2, 1602
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Agreda, Spain
Died: May 24, 1665

Franciscan abbess and spiritual-writer María de Agreda was a noted mystic of her era. She served as the spiritual and at times political advisor to King Philip IV of Spain for over two decades and is best-known for the correspondence she had with the King besides reports of her bilocation. She penned 14 books, including the most notable Mystical City of God.    

 50 
Bernadette Soubirous
(French Saint Who Received Visions from the Virgin Mary in a Cave Near Lourdes)
Bernadette Soubirous
5
Birthdate: January 7, 1844
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lourdes, France
Died: April 16, 1879
Bernadette Soubirous grew up amidst poverty, which contributed to her ill health and her stunted frame of just over 4 feet. At 14, she had visions of the Virgin Mary, which led to the formation of the Marian shrine of Lourdes. She was declared a saint by Pope Pius XI.