Meet the child saints of the Catholic Church -

The gruesome ways some saints have died is well documented, but these deaths are even more shocking when they concern children and teenagers. While not all died martyrs, many do have some really disturbing life stories, and deaths.

There are quite a few Catholic Church saints who died young, and indeed were canonized years later. In this gallery, you'll find the youngest Catholic saints in history. Click on to learn all about them.

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Saint Dominic Savio -

Dominic Savio was born in Turin, Italy, on April 2, 1842. He died just a few days before turning 15, and was canonized in 1954.

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Saint Dominic Savio -

Dominic Savio's tutor Saint John Bosco not only guided him, but also wrote his biography. According to the Italian priest, the boy lived a pious life and had prophetic visions. St. Dominic Savio is the patron saint of choirboys and juvenile delinquents.

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José Sánchez del Río -

José Sánchez del Río was born in Mexico on March 28, 1913. He later fought during the Cristero War, where he was captured and sentenced to a horrible death.

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José Sánchez del Río -

José was forced to walk towards the cemetery with his feet cut open. His captors said they'd spare his life if he shouted "death to Christ the king."

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José Sánchez del Río -

The story goes that he died shouting "long live Christ the King." José Sánchez del Río was 14 when he died, and he was canonized in 2016.

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Saint Pedro Calungsod -

Pedro was a missionary in Guam and ministered to the Chamorro people. He died a martyr in 1672, at the age of 17. He was canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.

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Saint Dymphna -

Dymphna's story dates back to 7th-century Ireland. After his wife died, Dymphna's father wanted to marry her. Dymphna fled to Belgium, but her father later found her and beheaded her. 

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Saint Dymphna -

It is thought hat Saint Dymphna was 14 or 15 years old when she died. She is the patron saint of a number of mental disorders.

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Francisco and Jacinta Marto -

Francisco and Jacinta Marto (center and right) were two of the three shepherd children who witnessed an apparition of, and spoke to, the Virgin Mary on May 13, 1917, in Cova da Iria, Fátima, Portugal.

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Francisco and Jacinta Marto -

In 2017, Pope Francis officially recognized the miracle of the sun, which occurred on October 13th, 1917, and canonized Francisco (who died aged 10) and Jacinta Marto (who died aged nine). The two are the youngest non-martyr saints in the history of the Catholic Church.

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Saint Maria Goretti -

Maria Goretti was born in Italy in 1890. When a man named Alessandro Serenelli tried to sexually assault her and she fought back, he stabbed her 14 times. Goretti was 11 years old at the time.

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Saint Maria Goretti -

The story goes that Maria Goretti forgave Serenelli on her deathbed. Alessandro Serenelli repented, but he still got 30 years in prison.

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Saint Maria Goretti -

In 1950, Maria Goretti became the youngest martyr saint in the Catholic Church's history.

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Saint Tarcisius -

Legend has it that a 12-year-old Tarcisius was tasked with smuggling bread to Christians in a Roman prison. The boy was caught before reaching the prison and upon refusal of showing the concealed bread, he was beaten to death in 275. The bread then miraculous disappeared.

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Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala -

Saints Cristóbal, Antonio, and Juan of present-day Tlaxcala, Mexico, were about 12 or 13 when they were killed.

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Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala -

The Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala were converts from  indigenous traditions and became the first Catholic martyrs in the Americas. The three boys were canonized in 2017.

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Saint Agnes of Rome -

Saint Agnes of Rome was born circa 291 into a noble family. A virgin, she was coveted by many men in Rome, but she refused to marry and dedicated her life to God instead.

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Saint Agnes of Rome -

Saint Agnes was captured during the persecution of Christians in Rome, and is said to have died a virgin martyr when she was 12 or 13.

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Saint Vitus -

The first reference to Saint Vitus can be found in the medieval list of saints Martyrologium Hieronymianum.

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Saint Vitus -

Vitus is said to have started to perform miracles from a young age. He eventually was killed in 303, when he was about 12 or 13 years old.

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Saint Philomena -

The body of St. Philomena was found in 1802 in the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome.

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Saint Philomena -

Not much is known about Philomena, other than the belief that she died a martyr. Saint Philomena is believed to have died at around 14 years old, circa 304.

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Saint Nunzio Sulprizio -

The young Italian apprentice blacksmith was beaten and starved by his uncle. Later, he fought gangrene of a leg for about five years, before dying in 1836, aged 17. Healing miracles have been attributed to him.

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Saint Stanislaus Kostka -

The Polish boy joined the Society of Jesus (more commonly known as the Jesuits). One of his teachers said that "he was a model and mirror of religious perfection." Stanislaus Kostka died in 1568, at the age of 17.

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Saint Teresa of the Andes -

Teresa became a Discalced Carmelite nun in Chile and later died from typhus. Teresa knew she would die and dedicated her life to God. Saint Teresa of the Andes died in 1920, aged 19.

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Saint Catherine of Alexandria -

Catherine, who died a virgin martyr, went as far as debating Christianity with scholars and philosophers, managing to convert a few of them in the process.

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Saint Catherine of Alexandria -

Saint Catherine was eventually sentenced to die on a spiked wheel (a torture device that eventually became known as a Catherine's wheel), but the wheel broke to pieces when she touched it. She was then beheaded in 305, aged 17 or 18.

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Laura Vicuña -

Blessed Laura Vicuña is not yet a saint, but she's worth an honorable mention. The Chilean beatified child was a victim of physical abuse. Laura died of tuberculosis, and on her deathbed she asked God to sacrifice her life for her mother's salvation. Laura Vicuña was 12. 

Sources: (We Dare To Say) (Grunge) (Oldest.org) (Little Saint Adventures)

See also: The most disturbing things saints have done

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