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Inah Canabarro Lucas lived 116 years, was recognized as the oldest person in the world, and had her age validated internationally by Guinness and LongeviQuest.
In São Francisco de Assis, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, a girl was born on June 8, 1908, so fragile that many doubted she would reach adulthood. This girl was Inah Canabarro Lucas. More than a century later, she would officially become the oldest person in the world, with international recognition and validated age.
Inah died on April 30, 2025, in Porto Alegre, at the age of 116 years and 326 days. Her journey was confirmed by LongeviQuest and recognized by Guinness World Records, marking the end of the life of the nun from Rio Grande do Sul who made history as one of Brazil’s greatest symbols of documented extreme longevity.
Brazilian supercentenarian had her age validated internationally
The validation of her age was decisive for the worldwide recognition of Inah Canabarro Lucas. Inah herself claimed to have been born on May 27, 1908, but documentary investigation concluded that the correct date was June 8, 1908, after analysis of historical and civil records.
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This verification process placed her story within the standard required for validated supercentenarians. The confirmation was not restricted to Brazil. She became part of the group of people with officially recognized age in international longevity databases.
Additionally, her family background also drew attention. Inah was the great-granddaughter of David Canabarro, a historical figure linked to the Ragamuffin War, which added symbolic weight to her already extraordinary journey.
Nun from Rio Grande do Sul began religious life in youth and became a teacher
Her religious life began early. At 16 years old, Inah started her journey at the Santa Teresa de Jesus boarding school in Santana do Livramento. She then went to Montevideo, Uruguay, where she deepened her religious training before returning to Brazil.
On July 27, 1934, at the age of 26, she took her perpetual vows, officially becoming a nun. Before and after this stage, she also built a long career in education, working as a teacher of Portuguese and mathematics in Rio de Janeiro.
Over the decades, she taught in different cities and maintained a routine deeply connected to faith and educational work. Later, she also lived in Porto Alegre, where she consolidated the final phase of her religious journey.
Oldest person in the world was recognized in January 2025
Inah became the oldest person in the world after the death of Japanese Tomiko Itooka at the end of December 2024. The recognition was confirmed in January 2025, when she was 116 years and 210 days old.
At that moment, she also accumulated other important milestones. She was recognized as the oldest living woman and also as the oldest living nun. The case gained international attention precisely because it combined extreme longevity, validated documentation, and a life story deeply marked by religion.
According to international records cited by the two sources, Inah was also considered the last living person born in 1908, a fact that further expanded the historical dimension of her journey.
Blessing from Pope Francis marked one of the most symbolic moments of the journey
Upon turning 110 years old, Inah received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis, one of the most memorable episodes of her long religious life. The gesture reinforced the spiritual recognition of a woman who had spent decades within the consecrated life.
When asked about the secret of her longevity, Inah attributed everything to God. In statements recorded in international sources, she said that He was the secret of life and everything. The phrase became a kind of summary of her worldview.
This religious aspect never appeared as a secondary detail in her story. On the contrary. Faith was presented as the central axis of her identity, both in the way she lived and in the way she interpreted her own longevity.
Inah Canabarro Lucas entered the history of world longevity
Upon dying at 116 years and 326 days, Inah Canabarro Lucas ceased to be just the oldest person in the world at that moment and came to occupy a permanent place among the most notable cases of validated longevity. According to LongeviQuest, she was the 15th oldest documented person in history, as well as being among the largest confirmed records in Latin America and Brazil.
Her name was also marked among the longest-lived nuns ever recorded. According to the Guinness World Records and LongeviQuest, Inah was the second oldest nun in documented history, behind only Lucile Randon, who died at 118 years.
The story of the girl from Rio Grande do Sul who seemed too fragile to survive ended in a way opposite to all predictions. Inah Canabarro Lucas died recognized worldwide, with proven age and a guaranteed place in the history of human longevity.
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