Humanities Religion & Spirituality Saints of the Early Christian Church Important saints in the early period of Christian history Share Flipboard Email Print Religion & Spirituality Christianity Origins & Development The Bible The New Testament The Old Testament Living the Christian Faith Christian Life for Teens Prayers Weddings Bible Devotions Denominations & Movements Funerals Holidays Entertainment Definitions Catholicism Islam Judaism Hinduism Buddhism Latter-Day Saints Taoism Alternative Religion Angels & Miracles Sikhism Holistic Healing Paganism / Wicca Astrology Atheism & Agnosticism View More by N.S. Gill Updated March 08, 2017 The following are some of the men and women who were canonized by the Christian church. In the early years, the process of canonization wasn't what it is today. Recent investigations by modern Christian churches have de-canonized some saints and some saints were saints only in the east or west. 01 of 12 St. Ambrose An actual portrait in mosaic of Ambrose of Milan in the church St. Ambrogio in Milan. Public Domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia Ambrose is the patron saint of learning, also referred to as St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan. He opposed the Arian Heresy and was active in the court of Emperors Gratian and Theodosius. Ambrose used his personal fortune to ransom captives taken by the Goths. 02 of 12 St. Anthony St. Anthony - Temptation of St. Anthony. Clipart.com St. Anthony, called the Father of Monasticism, was born about 251 A.D. in Egypt, and spent much of his adult life as a desert hermit (eremite). 03 of 12 St. Augustine St. Augustine Bishop of Hippo. Clipart.com Augustine was one of the eight great doctors of the Christian Church and possibly the most influential philosopher ever. He was born in North Africa at Tagaste in A.D. 354 and died in A.D. 430. 04 of 12 St. Basil the Great St. Basil the Great Icon. Public Domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia Basil wrote, "Longer Rules" and "Shorter Rules" for monastic life. Basil sold his family's holdings to buy food for the poor. Basil became Bishop of Caesarea in 370, at a time when an Arian emperor was ruling. 05 of 12 St. Gregory of Nazianzus Image ID: 1576464 St. Gregorius Nazianzenus. (1762) (1762). © NYPL Digital Gallery Gregory of Nazianzus was a "golden-voiced" orator and one of the 8 great Doctors of the Church (Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus). 06 of 12 St. Helena St. Helena. Clipart.com Helena was the mother of Emperor Constantine, who, upon her conversion to Christianity, went to the Holy Land where she is credited by some with having discovered the True Cross. More » 07 of 12 St. Irenaeus Saint Irenaeus. Public Domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia. Irenaeus was a second-century bishop in Gaul and Christian theologian whose importance lies in the area of helping establish the canonical New Testament and a picture of one of Christianity's offshoots, Gnosticism. 08 of 12 St. Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Public Domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia. Isidore is considered the last of the Latin Church fathers. He helped to convert the Arian Visigoths to the orthodox Christianity. He was made archbishop in about 600. 09 of 12 St. Jerome St. Jerome, by Albrecht Durer. Clipart.com Jerome is known as the scholar who translated the Bible into the language the people could read, Latin. He is considered the most learned of the Latin Church Fathers, being fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, with knowledge of Aramaic, Arabic, and Syriac. More » 10 of 12 St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Portrait of Saint John Chrysostom at the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Public Domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia. John Chrysostom was known for his eloquence; hence, his name Chrysostom (golden mouth). John was born at Antioch, the second city of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire. John became a bishop in Constantinople, but his preaching against corruption led to his exile. 11 of 12 St. Macrina St. Macrina the Younger (c.330-380) was the sister of St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Basil the Great. From Caesarea in Cappadocia, Macrina was betrothed, but when her fiance died, she refused to marry anyone else and became a nun. She and another of her brothers turned the family estate into a convent and monastery. 12 of 12 St. Patrick St. Patrick and the Snakes. Clipart.com Patrick was born in the late fourth century (c. A.D. 390). Although the family lived in the village of Bannavem Taberniaei, in Roman Britain, Patrick would one day become the most successful Christian missionary in Ireland, its patron saint, and the subject of legends. More » citecite this article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Gill, N.S. "Saints of the Early Christian Church." ThoughtCo, Feb. 5, 2017, thoughtco.com/saints-of-the-early-christian-church-117714. Gill, N.S. (2017, February 5). Saints of the Early Christian Church. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/saints-of-the-early-christian-church-117714 Gill, N.S. "Saints of the Early Christian Church." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/saints-of-the-early-christian-church-117714 (accessed April 26, 2018). copy citation Continue Reading