A portrait of St. Martin de Porres
St. Martin de Porres
1579 – 1639
Feast
November 3 · XVII c.
Patron of
Mixed-race people · Public health workers · Barbers · Social justice
Order
Religious / Dominican Brother
Peruvian Dominican lay brother (1579-1639), of Lima, illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed African woman; barber-surgeon who entered the Dominican lay-brotherhood and exercised an extraordinary ministry of healing and care for the poor of Lima, founding an orphanage and a hospital. Friend of St. Rose of Lima and St. John Macias. Canonized 1962 by John XXIII—first canonized Black saint of the Americas.
Life & Times
Born: 1579 · Died: 1639 · From: Peru.
Patronage
St. Martin de Porres is invoked as the patron of mixed-race people, public health workers, barbers, social justice. Those in these callings or circumstances often turn to this saint in prayer.
“Compassion, my dear brother, is preferable to cleanliness.”— St. Martin de Porres (traditionally attributed)
Shop St. Martin de Porres Products
Devotional items honoring St. Martin de Porres, from our Sancta Lumina collection and beyond.
Gold-Filled St. Martin de Porres Pendant
$114.00
St. Martin de Porres Tiny Saint Charm
$5.99
25-Pack - Oxidized Pendant-St Martin De Porres
$25.00
100-Pack - San Martin De Porres Holy Card
$47.00
Sterling Silver Oval Shaped St. Martin De Porres Medal
$70.00
100-Pack - St Martin De Porres Holy Card
$56.00
Sterling Silver St. Martin de Porres Medal | Medium | Engravable
$62.00
100-Pack - St Martin De Porres Holy Card With Prayer
$47.00
About Catholic Saints
Catholic saints, including St. Martin de Porres, are Christians whom the Catholic Church has formally recognized as having lived lifes of heroic holiness and who now dwell with God in heaven, offering an example of faith for those still on their earthly journey. Catholics don't worship saints, but ask them to pray to God with us and for us — much as one might ask a trusted friend to pray for them — trusting that those closest to God can join their voices to ours before Him. Discover more saints in the Catholic Shop Saints section.