Catholic monastic orders. History of monastic orders

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The Crusades contributed to a radical change in life in Europe. In addition to the fact that Christians began to get acquainted with the culture of eastern countries and peoples, in particular the Arabs, there was also an opportunity to get rich quickly. Thousands of pilgrims flocked to the Holy Land. Who wanted to protect the Holy Sepulcher, and who wanted to become a we althy landowner with a large number of servants. To protect such travelers, monastic orders were first created.

Origin of orders

Later, after the Europeans settled in the vastness of Palestine, the knights of spiritual orders began to be divided, in accordance with their goals, into beggars, Benedictines, regular clerics and canons.

Some were seized with greed and power. They managed not only to get fabulously rich, but also to create their own states. For example, the Teutonic Order belongs to the latter, but we will talk about it later.

Augustinians

The name of some monastic orders became derived from the name of the saint, whose words and deeds were especially honored by the founders and were spelled out in the charter.

Under term"Augustinians" fall into several orders and congregations. But in general, they are all divided into two branches - canons and brothers. The latter are further subdivided into barefoot and recollections.

This order was created in the middle of the thirteenth century, and in the middle of the sixteenth - ranked among the other three mendicant orders (Carmelites, Franciscans, Dominicans).

The charter was quite simple and did not include any cruelty and torture. The main purpose of the monks was to save human souls. By the sixteenth century, there were about two and a half thousand monasteries in the ranks of this order.

No power or accumulation of we alth was out of the question, so they were counted as beggars.

The barefoot Augustinians broke off from the mainstream in the seventeenth century and spread throughout Japan and all of East Asia.

A distinctive sign of the Augustinians is a black cassock and a white cassock with a leather belt. Today, there are about five thousand of them.

Benedictines

The history of monastic orders began precisely with this group of churchmen. It was formed in the sixth century in an Italian commune.

If we look at the path of development of this order, we will see that he managed to complete only two tasks. The first is to partially extend its charter to most other organizations. The second is to serve as a basis for the formation of new orders and congregations.

According to the records, the Benedictines were originally small in number. The first monastery was destroyed at the end of the sixth century by the Lombards, and the monks settled throughoutEurope. After secularization in the Middle Ages and the reform movement, the order began to decline.

However, in the nineteenth century begins its sudden rise. The brothers in faith just found their niche. Now the monastic orders that are part of this association are engaged in the rise and development of culture, as well as missionary activities in Africa and Asia.

At the end of the nineteenth century, their confederation was created with the support of the Pope, in addition, a university was opened. Architecture and trade, literature and music, painting and medicine are only a small part of the areas that developed in Europe thanks to the Benedictines. It was the monastic Catholic orders in the era of the total decline in the standard of living and culture that were able to preserve the remnants of "civilization" in the form of traditions, norms and foundations.

Hospitallers

The second name is the Order of the Holy Spirit. This is a monastic organization that lasted only six centuries - from the twelfth to the eighteenth century.

The basis of the activities of the Hospitallers was the treatment of the sick and wounded, as well as caring for the elderly and orphans, the weak and the destitute. That is why such a name was assigned to them.

The charter of the organization comes from the Augustinian Order. And they formed their hospitals first in France, and then in other countries.

Each member of the monastic order was obliged to engage in charity. This concept included the care of the sick, the ransom of Christians from slavery, the protection of pilgrims, the education of the poor, and manyother good deeds.

In the seventeenth century, the French king tried to use their fund to his advantage, to pay the salaries of military veterans. But Rome opposed this turn of events. From that time on, the decline began, ending in 1783, when the order became part of the Hospitallers of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.

Dominicans

An interesting feature of this organization is that a member of the monastic order can be either a man or a woman. That is, there are Dominicans and Dominicans, but they live in different monasteries.

The order was founded in the thirteenth century and exists to this day. Today, its population is approximately six thousand people. The main distinguishing feature of the Dominicans has always been a white cassock. The coat of arms is a dog carrying a torch in its teeth. The goal of the monks is to enlighten and protect the true faith.

Dominicans are famous in two areas - science and missionary work. Despite the bloody confrontation, they were the first to establish an archdiocese in Persia, to master East Asia and Latin America.

Under the Pope, questions related to theology are always answered by the monk of this order.

During the period of the highest rise, the Dominicans numbered more than one hundred and fifty thousand people, but after the Reformation, revolutions and civil wars in different countries, their number decreased significantly.

Jesuits

Probably the most controversial order in the history of Catholicism. At the forefront is unquestioning obedience, "like a corpse," as stated in the charter. Military monastic orders, of course, played a huge role in the development of many rulers of medieval Europe, but the Jesuits have always been famous for their ability to achieve results at any cost.

The order was founded in the Basque country by Loyola in 1491 and since then has entangled all civilized countries of the world with its connections. Intrigue and blackmail, bribery and murder - on the one hand, protection of the interests of the church and Catholicism - on the other. It was these opposite facets that led to the fact that in the eighteenth century the Pope disbanded this order. Officially, it did not exist for forty years (in Europe). Parishes functioned in Russia and in some Asian countries. To date, the number of Jesuits has about seventeen thousand people.

Teutonic Order

One of the most influential organizations in medieval Europe. Although the military monastic orders strived for maximum influence, not everyone succeeded. The Teutons took a detour. They not only increased their power, but also simply bought land on which they built fortresses.

The order was founded on the basis of a hospital in Acre at the end of the twelfth century. Initially, the Teutons accumulated we alth and strength, along the way taking care of the wounded and pilgrims. But at the beginning of the thirteenth century, they begin to move east under the banner of the fight against the pagans. Mastering Transylvania, driving the Polovtsians to the Dnieper. Later, the Prussian lands were captured, and astate of the Teutonic Order with its capital in Marienburg.

Everything went in favor of the knights until the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, when the Polish-Lithuanian troops defeated them. From this time begins the decline of the order. The memory of him was restored only by the German Nazis during the Second World War, declaring themselves the successors of the tradition.

Franciscans

Monastic orders in Catholicism, as mentioned above, are divided into four groups. So, the order of the Minorites, founded at the beginning of the thirteenth century, became the first of the mendicants. The main goal of its members is the preaching of virtue, asceticism and the principles of the Gospel.

"Grey brothers", "cordeliers", "barefoot" - the nicknames of the Franciscans in different European countries. They were rivals of the Dominicans and led the Inquisition before the Jesuits. In addition, members of the order held many teaching positions at universities.

Thanks to this brotherhood, many monastic denominations, such as capuchins, tertiaries and others, have appeared.

Cistercians

The second name is “Bernardines”. This is a branch of the Benedictines that split off in the eleventh century. The order was founded at the end of the said century by Saint Robert, who decided to lead a life that fully complied with the rules of the Benedictine monastery. But since in reality he did not succeed in achieving sufficient asceticism, he leaves for the Sito desert, where he lays a new monastery. At the beginning of the twelfth century, its charter is adopted, as well asSaint Bernard joins. After these events, the number of Cistercians begins to increase dramatically.

During the Middle Ages, they surpassed other monastic orders in we alth and influence. No military actions, only trade, production, education and science. Most power was obtained peacefully.

Today the total number of Bernardines fluctuates around two thousand.