(Source: Colégio Nossa Senhora da Paz / Facebook)
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Maria Helena Saraiva de Aguiar, also known as Sister Aguiar (Portuguese: Irmã Aguiar), was a Portuguese nun and supercentenarian. At the time of her passing, she was the oldest known living nun in Europe.
Maria Helena Saraiva de Aguiar was born in São Tomé and Príncipe (then Portuguese colony), on 2 November 1913.
Her childhood was divided between Braga, where her paternal grandmother and an aunt lived—both of whom she cherished deeply—and Lisbon, where she received her artistic education. At the city’s Conservatory, she completed her Higher Education Piano Course at 17 years old, earning a perfect score of 20. Later, after joining the Congregation of St. Dorothea, she devoted herself to teaching piano.
Even well into her later years—until around the age of 109—she remained keenly interested in contemporary social, political, and cultural affairs. Each day, after fulfilling her religious and community duties, she would spend several hours reading magazines and books on a wide range of subjects, written in French, Spanish, and Portuguese, never going to bed without doing so.
Maria Helena Saraiva de Aguiar passed away in Porto on 7 October 2025, at the age of 111 years, 339 days.
Her age has not been validated.
Following the death of Anna La Morgia on 17 July 2024, Aguiar became the oldest living nun in Europe.
At the time of her death, she was the second-oldest known living nun in the world, after Francis Piscatella.
* ““Madre Aguiar” celebra 110 anos de uma vida dedicada ao ensino” – O Vilaverdense, 3 November 2023
* “Morreu Helena Aguiar, a segunda freira mais velha do mundo. Tinha 111 anos” – jn.pt, 7 October 2025
On her 108th birthday. (Source: Facebook / Colégio Nossa Senhora da Paz – Porto)
On her 111th birthday. (Source: Facebook)
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