Catholic monastic orders. History of the monastic orders

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

Origin of the Orders

In the future, after the Europeans settledon the palaces of Palestine, the knights of spiritual orders began to separate, according to their goals, the mendicants, Benedictines, regular clerics and canons.

Some were seized by a thirst for profit and power. They managed not only to get rich fabulously, but also to create their own states. For example, the Teutonic Order belongs to the latter, but we'll talk about it later.

The Augustinians

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

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

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

The charter was fairly simple and did not includeno cruelties and tortures. Basically, the goal of the monks was the salvation of human souls. By the sixteenth century in the ranks of this order there were about two and a half thousand monasteries.

There was no question of any power or accumulation of wealth, and therefore they were ranked as mendicants.

Barefoot Augustinians broke away from the mainstream in the seventeenth century and spread throughout Japan and throughout East Asia.

A distinctive feature of the Augustinian is a black cassock and a white cassock with a leather belt. To date, there are about five thousand.

Benedictines

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

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

Judging from the records, the Benedictines were originallysmall. The first monastery was destroyed at the end of the sixth century by the Lombards, and the monks settled throughout Europe. After secularization in the Middle Ages and the reform movement, the Order began to decline to its decline.

However, in the nineteenth century a suddenits take-off. Brothers by faith just found their niche. Now the monastic orders belonging to this association are engaged in raising and developing culture, as well as in missionary activities in Africa and Asia.

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

Hospitallers

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

The main activity of the Hospitallers was the treatment of the sick and wounded, as well as the care for the elderly and orphans, the weak and the destitute. That is why they were named after him.

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

Each member of the monastic order undertookto be engaged in charity. This concept included the care for the sick, the ransom of Christians from slavery, the protection of pilgrims, the education of the poor and many other good deeds.

In the seventeenth century, the French king trieduse their fund in their own interests, to pay salaries to military veterans. But Rome opposed this turn of events. From this time begins the decline, which ended in 1783, when the Order became part of the Hospitallers of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.

Dominicans

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

The Order was founded in the thirteenth century and there isby the present time. To date, its number is about six thousand people. The main distinguishing feature of the Dominicans was always a white cassock. The coat of arms is a dog carrying a torch in his teeth. His goal is to educate and protect the true faith of the monks.

Dominicans are famous in two areas: science andmissionary activity. Despite the bloody confrontation, they were the first to make an archdiocese in Persia, to master East Asia and Latin America.

With the Pope for matters relating to theology, it is always the monk of this order that always answers.

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 various countries, their number was significantly reduced.

Jesuits

Probably the most controversial order for allthe history of Catholicism. At the heart of the matter is unquestioning obedience, "just like a corpse," as stated in the statute. Military-monastic orders, of course, played a huge role in the formation of many rulers of medieval Europe, but the Jesuits were always famous for their ability to achieve results at any cost.

The Order was founded in the Basque country by Loyola in 1491and from that time on, all the civilized countries of the world entangled their ties. Intrigues and blackmail, bribery and murder - on the one hand, the protection of the interests of the church and Catholicism - on the other. It was such opposite sides that led to the fact that in the eighteenth century the Pope was disbanding this order Officially, he did not exist for forty years (in Europe). In Russia and in some Asian countries, the parishes functioned. To date, the number of Jesuits has about seventeen thousand people.

Warband

One of the most influential organizationsmedieval Europe. Although military monastic orders and sought to maximize the impact, not all of this turned out. Teutons also went bypass. They not only increased their power, but also simply bought the land on which the fortresses were built.

The order was based on the base of the hospital in Acre inend of the twelfth century. Initially, the Teutons accumulated wealth and strength, incidentally caring for the wounded and pilgrims. But at the beginning of the thirteenth century, they began to move eastward under the banner of fighting the Gentiles. They master Transylvania, expelling the Polovtsi to the Dnieper. Later, the Prussian lands are captured, and the state of the Teutonic Order is formed with its capital in Marienburg.

Everything was for the benefit of knights before the Battle of Grunwaldin 1410, when the Polish-Lithuanian troops defeated them. From this time the sunset of the Order begins. The memory of it was restored only by the German Nazis during the Second World War, declaring themselves the continuers of tradition.

The Franciscans

Monastic orders in Catholicism, as mentionedabove, are divided into four groups. So, the Order of Minorities, founded in the early thirteenth century, became the first of the beggars. The main purpose of its members is the preaching of virtue, asceticism and the principles of the gospel.

"Gray brothers", "cordeliers", "barefoot" - "the nicknames of the Franciscans in various European countries. They were rivals of the Dominicans and led the Inquisition to the Jesuits. In addition, the members of the order occupied many teaching positions in universities.

Thanks to this brotherhood, many monastic directions appeared, such as the Capuchins, Tertiaries and others.

Cistercians

The second name is "Bernardines". This branch of the Benedictines, which separated in the eleventh century. The Order was founded at the end of the century by Saint Robert, who decided to lead a life that fully conforms to the statute of the Benedictine monastery. But since in reality he did not manage to achieve sufficient austerity, he goes to the Desert of Sitho, where he lays a new monastery. At the beginning of the twelfth century, his statute was adopted, and also Saint Bernard joined. After these events, the number of Cistercians begins to grow abruptly.

In the Middle Ages, they bypassed othersmonastic orders for wealth and influence. No military action, only trade, production, education and science. Peacefully, the greatest power was obtained.

Today, the total number of Bernardines varies between two thousand.