German, Austrian and Swiss Saints and Holy Persons

© 2000 by Paul A. Schons

In the earliest days of the Christian church the holy persons of the religion were remembered as saints largely on a local basis. It was not until late in the 11th Century that the practice of canonization by the Pope became the practice. A number of the persons listed below predate the regulation of papal canonization. Those who have been formally canonized are indicated with the date of canonization and the name of the Pope who canonized them. Not all of the persons mentioned were born in German speaking countries, but all lived or worked in those areas. Germany, Austria and Switzerland have had various borders over the centuries. To assist in relating current national borders or to assist in interpreting history, historic notes are provided as needed (in green).

A note on the process of canonization (declaration of sainthood): The first step in the process is that persons regarded as holy are investigated by a local bishop. Candidates are then sent to authorities in Rome. If they seem to be worthy they are submitted to the Pope who may declare them "venerable", the first step in the process. In the next step of the process a candidate may be "beatified" and then called "blessed". In the final stage, after extensive investigation is that the Pope "canonizes" a person who then is given the designation "saint". At that stage the Church is convinced that that person must be in heaven.

A note on names and the alphabetical sequence: In the case of the early saints, only a first name was used. The "von" in the names as used below simply means "from" and indicates a place with which the saint is associated rather than being a family name. Thus the early saints are placed in the alphabetical order by first name. Persons from later times are integrated into the listing by family name.