José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros OFS (; 26 October 1864 – 29 June 1919) was a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

. Born in Isnotú,

Trujillo State Trujillo State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Its capital is Trujillo and the largest city is Valera. The state is divided into 20 municipalities and 93 parishes. Trujillo State covers a total surface area of and, has a 2011 cen ...

, he became a highly renowned doctor, more so after his death.Fernández Juárez, Gerardo (2004)
''Salud e interculturalidad en América Latina: perspectivas antropológicas''
Editorial Abya Yala. He was

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in 2021, and his

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...

was announced in early 2025, with the date later being set for 19 October 2025.

Early life and education

José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros was born on 26 October 1864 in Isnotú, a small village in the state of Trujillo in Venezuela. He spent the entirety of his childhood in his hometown, where his mother worked as a housekeeper and his father sold pharmaceuticals and livestock. Hernández was baptized on 30 January 1865 in what is now the parish Church of Niño Jesús de Escuque. He received the sacrament of Confirmation on 6 December 1867 from Juan Bonet, Bishop of Mérida. At the age of thirteen, José Gregorio told his parents of his desire to go to law school and become a lawyer, but was persuaded by his mother to pursue a career in medicine instead. So, in 1878, he set off on the long and difficult journey from the Andes Mountain Range in Trujillo to Caracas. He enrolled in ''Colegio Villegas'', one of the country's most prestigious schools at the time, where, in 1882, he graduated with a baccalaureate in philosophy. After completing his high school education, Hernández enrolled in the

Central University of Venezuela Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

to begin his medical studies. Throughout his six years at the university, he was described by his professors as a student of outstanding academic performance and conduct.

Career

In 1888, Hernández graduated as a

medical doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

from the Central University of Venezuela. The Venezuelan government awarded him a grant to continue his studies in Europe. Hernández traveled to Paris, where he studied other fields of medicine such as

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the Morphology (biology), morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the iden ...

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

microbiology Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...

, and

physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

. Following his return to Venezuela, he became a leading doctor at the ''Hospital José María Vargas''. Between 1891 and 1916, Hernández dedicated himself to teaching, to medicine, and to religious practice. He made two attempts to begin studies for the priesthood, but his fragile physical condition would ultimately stand in his way. In 1908, he studied for ten months at the Monastery of Lucca in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Then, in 1913, in a further attempt, he enrolled at the

Pontifical Latin American College The Pontifical Latin American College (Italian: ''Pontificio Collegio Pio Latino Americano'', Spanish: ''Pontificio Colegio Pio Latino Americano'') is one of the Roman Colleges of the Roman Catholic Church, for students from Central and South A ...

in Rome, but again, health problems obliged him to return to Venezuela. Hernández treated the poor for free and even bought them medicines with his own money. Among his scientific publications are ''The Elements of Bacteriology'' (1906), ''About the Angina Pectoris of Malaric Origin'' (1909), and ''The Elements of Philosophy'' (1912). With the arrival in 1918 of the highly contagious

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

in Venezuela, Hernández treated patients in Caracas who had caught it. Hernández died in 1919, after being struck by a motorist. His major relics are venerated in the ''La Candelaria'' Catholic Church in Caracas.

Beatification

After his death, Hernández's fame began to spread. Claims were made around the country that miracles had been experienced in cases where his intercession before God had been invoked.Dinneen, Mark (2001)
''Culture and customs of Venezuela''
Greenwood Publishing Group, pp. 32-34. Eventually, his name became known all over

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. His healing help is often invoked by both doctors and patients. He is also called upon for protection during overland journeys. In 1949, Venezuelan

officials began the process of determining whether or not Hernández was eligible for sainthood. In 1985, the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

granted him the title of ''

Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

''. The next step in the process for Hernández was that of beatification. On 26 August 2014, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Venezuela called on all Catholics to attend Mass and thank God "for the life and example of this great Venezuelan, with great hope and implore the grace of his speedy beatification" on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Hernández' birth (Sunday, 26 October 2014). In June 2020,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

decided in favor of the beatification of José Gregorio Hernández, after the recovery of a girl who had been shot in the head, which was recognized as a miracle attributed to him. The solemn proclamation was made at a Mass celebrated on 30 April 2021 in the church of the Collegio La Salle of

by the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop

Aldo Giordano Aldo Giordano (20 August 1954 – 2 December 2021) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union in 2021. He was previously Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela from 2013 to 2021 and before that the Per ...

Canonization

On 25 February 2025, Pope Francis announced that Hernández will be canonized. On 13 June 2025, in the first ordinary public

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

, it was decreed that Hernández would be canonized on 19 October 2025, along with six other blesseds. As a fact, he will be canonized along with Carmen Rendiles Martínez, and both will become the first saints of Venezuela.

Legacy

Blessed José Gregorio Hernández is also revered by Venezuela's alternative and syncretic religion, the cult of

Maria Lionza Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

. Historian Steven Palmer also has drawn parallels between the Hernández cult and that of the assassinated

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

n physician and politician

Ricardo Moreno Cañas Ricardo Moreno Cañas (May 8, 1890 – August 23, 1938) was a Costa Rican physician and congressman. He was shot dead by Beltrán Cortés, reportedly due to an unsuccessful surgery Moreno performed on him. He is a historical personality re ...

.Palmer, Steven Paul (2003)
''From popular medicine to medical populism: doctors, healers, and public power in Costa Rica, 1800-1940''
Duke University Press, p. 217. A private university in

Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...

, Universidad Dr. José Gregorio Hernández (launched in 2003), is named for him. In 2011, Hernández's birthday, 26 October, was declared a "day of national celebration". Hernández is also an important folk figure and is commonly portrayed in

naïve art Naïve art is usually defined as visual art that is created by a person who lacks the formal education and training that a professional artist undergoes (in anatomy, art history, technique, perspective, ways of seeing). When this aesthetic is ...

Publications

* 1893 - ''Sobre el número de glóbulos rojos''. Gaceta Médica de

. * 1894 - ''Sobre angina de pecho de naturaleza paludosa''. Gaceta Médica de Caracas. * 1910 - ''Lecciones de bacteriología''. Gaceta Médica de Caracas. * 1910 - ''Lesiones anatomo–patológicas de la pulmonía simple o crupal''. Gaceta Médica de Caracas. * 1910 - ''De la nefritis a la fiebre amarilla''. Gaceta Médica de Caracas. * 1913 - ''Renuncia ante la Academia Nacional de Medicina''. Gaceta Médica de Caracas. * 1918 - ''Nota preliminar acerca del tratamiento de la tuberculosis por el aceite de Chaulmoogra''. Gaceta Médica de Caracas. * 1922 - ''Elementos de bacteriología''. 2.ª edición: Caracas. El Cojo. * 1959 - ''Elementos de filosofía''. 3.ª edición: Caracas. Bibliográfica Venezolana. * 1968 - ''Obras completas''. Caracas. Universidad Central de Venezuela.

References

External links

José Gregorio Hernández Biography