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{{Short description|Catholic cloistered monastics of Jerome}} |
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{{Redirect|O.S.H.||OSH (disambiguation)}} |
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{{Redirect|Girolamini||Girolamini, Naples}} |
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{{Infobox organization |
{{Infobox organization |
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|name = Order of Saint Jerome |
|name = Order of Saint Jerome |
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|image = |
|image = Escudo de la Orden de San Jerónimo.svg |
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|size = 250px |
|size = 250px |
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|abbreviation = |
|abbreviation = OSH |
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|formation = Late 14th century |
|formation = Late 14th century |
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|headquarters = Orden de San Jerónimo<br>Monasterio de Santa María del Parral<br>Subida al Parral, 2<br>40003 - Segovia, |
|headquarters = Orden de San Jerónimo<br>Monasterio de Santa María del Parral<br>Subida al Parral, 2<br>40003 - Segovia, Spain |
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|type = [[Catholic religious order|Catholic enclosed religious order]] |
|type = [[Catholic religious order|Catholic enclosed religious order]] |
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|leader_title = Prior General |
|leader_title = Prior General |
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|website = [ |
|website = [https://monjesjeronimos.es/ www.monjesjeronimos.es] |
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}} |
}} |
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The ''' |
The '''Hieronymites''' or '''Jeronimites''', also formally known as the '''Order of Saint Jerome''' ({{lang-la|Ordo Sancti Hieronymi}}; abbreviated '''OSH'''), is a [[Catholic]] [[enclosed religious orders|cloistered religious order]] and a common name for several congregations of [[hermit]] [[monk]]s living according to the [[Rule of Saint Augustine]], though the role principle of their lives is that of the 5th-century hermit and [[biblical scholar]] [[Jerome]]. |
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The principal group with this name was founded in [[ |
The principal group with this name was founded in the [[Iberian Peninsula]] around the 14th century. Their [[religious habit]] is a white [[tunic]] with a brown, hooded [[scapular]] and a brown [[Mantle (vesture)|mantle]]. For [[liturgy|liturgical]] services, they wear a brown [[cowl]]. |
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==Iberian Hieronymites== |
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=== Origins === |
=== Origins === |
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| ⚫ | Established near [[Toledo, Spain]], the order developed from a spontaneous interest of a number of [[hermit|eremitical]] communities in both Spain and Portugal imitating the life of [[Jerome]] and [[Paula of Rome]]. This way of life soon became widespread in Spain. Two of these hermits, Pedro Fernández y Pecha and Fernando Yáñez y de Figueroa, decided it would be more advantageous to live a more regular way of life in a community, under an authorized [[monastic rule]].<ref name="monjesjeronimos.es">{{cite web|url=https://monjesjeronimos.es/|title=La Orden de San Jerónimo|access-date=21 December 2016|language=es}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Established near [[Toledo, Spain]], the |
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Under their leadership, the Monastery of Saint Bartholomew was then founded in [[Lupiana]], with Fernández y Pecha acting as |
Under their leadership, the Monastery of Saint Bartholomew was then founded in [[Lupiana]], with Fernández y Pecha acting as the first [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|prior]]. On 18 October 1373, [[Pope Gregory XI]] issued a [[papal bull]] recognizing them as a [[Religious order (Catholic)|religious order]], under the [[Rule of Saint Augustine]]. The constitutions included the teachings of their [[patron saint]]. By 1415 there numbered 25 houses following this spirit; in that year, they were united by the Pope and given the status of an exempt order, free from [[bishop|episcopal]] jurisdiction.<ref name="planalfa.es">{{cite web|url=http://www3.planalfa.es/msmparral/orden.htm|title=La Orden.La Orden de San Jerónimo|access-date=21 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725205332/http://www3.planalfa.es/msmparral/orden.htm|archive-date=25 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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From its outset, the order enjoyed great favor from the [[king of Spain]], and soon possessed some of the most famous monasteries in the [[Iberian Peninsula]]: including the [[Monastery of Saint Mary of Guadalupe|Royal Monastery of Saint Mary of Guadalupe]] in [[Extremadura]], [[Spain]]; the [[Jerónimos Monastery|Royal Monastery of Saint Mary of Bethlehem]] in [[Lisbon]], Portugal; and the magnificent monastery built by [[Philip II of Spain]] at [[El Escorial]], where the kings of Spain were buried.{{sfn|Butler|1911|p=454}}<ref name=Besse/> |
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Though their way of life was very austere, the Hieronymites also devoted themselves to study and to active ministry, possessing great influence at the courts both of [[Spain]] and of [[Portugal]]. In the 16th century |
Though their way of life was very austere, the Hieronymites also devoted themselves to study and to active ministry, possessing great influence at the courts both of [[Spain]] and of [[Portugal]]. In the 16th century they were a major supporter of the efforts of the Portuguese mystic [[John of God]], who established the [[Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God|nursing order]] in Granada bearing his name. Missionaries to both Spanish and Portuguese America played a considerable part spreading [[Christianity]] in the New World. |
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Hieronymite [[nun]]s were founded in 1375 by Maria Garcias, and became numerous throughout the Iberian peninsula.{{sfn|Butler|1911|p=454}} |
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=== Religious habit === |
=== Religious habit === |
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[[File:Habit (Order of Saint Jerome).svg|thumb|right|200px|The [[religious habit]] of the monks of the Order of Saint Jerome is white and includes the [[brown scapular]].]] |
[[File:Habit (Order of Saint Jerome).svg|thumb|right|200px|The [[religious habit]] of the monks of the Order of Saint Jerome is white and includes the [[brown scapular]].]] |
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The members of the |
The members of the order (monks and nuns) adopted as their religious habit a white tunic with a brown scapular (similar to the [[Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel]] used by the [[Carmelites]]) and a hood, over which is worn a brown mantle or cowl of the same color.<ref name=Besse>{{harvnb|Besse|1910}}.</ref> |
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=== American mission === |
=== American mission === |
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The islands of the [[Antilles]] in the [[Caribbean]] were entrusted to them for [[pastoral care]] by [[cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]] [[Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros]], who sent a small party of three monks to [[Hispaniola]]. They were originally sent to deal with the issue of accusations against the Spanish [[colonist]]s of atrocities against the native population. These charges had been most vocally leveled by the noted [[priest (Catholic Church)|priest]] |
The islands of the [[Antilles]] in the [[Caribbean]] were entrusted to them for [[pastoral care]] by [[cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]] [[Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros]], who sent a small party of three monks to [[Hispaniola]]. They were originally sent to deal with the issue of accusations against the Spanish [[colonist]]s of atrocities against the native population. These charges had been most vocally leveled by the noted [[priest (Catholic Church)|priest]] [[Bartolomé de las Casas#Protector of the Indians|Bartolomé de las Casas]], who was a [[secular priest]] at the time. They appear to have been ineffectual in preventing the abuses which de la Casas had charged. |
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The leader of the monks, [[Luis de Figueroa]], was later named the third [[bishop of Santo Domingo]] in 1523, which at the time also included the islands of Cuba and [[Puerto Rico]]. He died in 1526, before he could be [[consecration|consecrated]] as a [[bishop (Catholic Church)|bishop]].<ref> |
The leader of the monks, [[Luis de Figueroa]], was later named the third [[bishop of Santo Domingo]] in 1523, which at the time also included the islands of Cuba and [[Puerto Rico]]. He died in 1526, before he could be [[consecration|consecrated]] as a [[bishop (Catholic Church)|bishop]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bfigl.html|title=Father Luis de Figueroa [Catholic-Hierarchy]|first=David M.|last=Cheney|access-date=21 December 2016}}</ref> Another member of the order, Juan de Arzolaras (or Alzóloras), served as the [[Archbishop of Santo Domingo]] (1566–1568), before being transferred to serve as the [[Bishop of the Canary Islands]]. |
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=== Modern era === |
=== Modern era === |
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[[File:Convento de Santa Paula.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Entrance of the nuns' monastery of Saint Paula ([[Seville]], [[Spain]]).]] |
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The men's branch of the |
The men's branch of the order declined during the 18th century and was completely [[suppression of Monasteries|suppressed in 1835]] by the [[Spain|Spanish]] government.{{sfn|Butler|1911|p=454}} At that time, there were 48 monasteries with about a thousand monks. The fate of the monastery buildings was varied. Most of them fell into ruins, others were given to other religious orders, still others became breweries, barns, or holiday homes. |
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| ⚫ | According to [[canon law]], only the [[Holy See]] may suppress a religious order, and the Holy See possesses the right to restore that order should it see fit, for up to a century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P1Z.HTM|title=Code of Canon Law: text - IntraText CT|access-date=21 December 2016}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | In 1925, the Hieronymite nuns (who were not affected by the suppression) petitioned the Holy See for a restoration of the men's branch. This was granted, with a new community of monks being established at the [[Monastery of Santa María del Parral|Monastery of Saint Mary of Parral]] in [[Segovia]]. However, the troubles of the [[Second Spanish Republic|Republic]] of 1931 and of the subsequent [[Spanish Civil War]] of 1936-1939 prevented any real progress until the general government of the order was constituted in 1969. |
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| ⚫ | In 1925, the Hieronymite nuns (who were not affected by the suppression) |
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As of 2012 one community of monks exists, that of Saint Mary of Parral, and 18 monasteries of nuns (17 in Spain and one in India). The Hieronymite Order is a monastic one, now purely contemplative. Through solitude and silence, assiduous prayer and healthy penance, the |
As of 2012 one community of monks exists, that of Saint Mary of Parral, and 18 monasteries of nuns (17 in Spain and one in India). The Hieronymite Order is a monastic one, now purely contemplative. Through solitude and silence, assiduous prayer, and healthy penance, the order attempts to bring its monks into closer union with God. The Hieronymite is conscious that the more intensely he dedicates himself to the monastic life, the more fruitful becomes the life of the Church as a whole. Hieronymites believe that their prayer can have a profound impact on the world outside the monastery. |
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This is the environment in which the life of the Hieronymite monk is developed, with the morning usually spent in manual work—the normal means of support for |
This is the environment in which the life of the Hieronymite monk is developed, with the morning usually spent in manual work—the normal means of support for monks—while afternoons are dedicated to [[contemplation]], [[prayer]] and study. Throughout the course of the day, the monks also gather for the singing of the [[Liturgy of the Hours]] as well as the celebration of the [[Eucharist]]. The Hieronymite strives to allow these moments of prayer to flow through his way of life, so that his goal is to express his life in complete charity towards all people. |
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Hieronymites believe this inwardly |
Hieronymites believe this inwardly-directed manner of life is an exquisite and effective form of apostolic outreach. They believe that in the middle of a restless world, there are those who are called by God to spend some time living in monastic solitude. For this reason, Hieronymite monasteries readily welcome visitors who are guaranteed silence and prayerful support.<ref name="planalfa.es"/> |
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As of 2010, there were 11 monks in the |
As of 2010, there were 11 monks in the order, of whom four were priests. This is down from a high of 21 monks in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dqosh.html#info|title=Orden de San Jerónimo (Institute of Consecrated Life) [Catholic-Hierarchy]|first=David M.|last=Cheney|access-date=21 December 2016}}</ref> |
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=== The nuns of the Order === |
=== The nuns of the Order === |
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[[File: |
[[File:Sor Juana by Miguel Cabrera.png|thumb|right|Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Hieronymite nun of colonial Mexico]] |
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Alongside the Hieronymite monks, there are the Hieronymite nuns. They began in [[Toledo, Spain]], when María García (+1426) and Mayor Gómez headed a group of women who began living lives of simplicity and prayer. Finally, they joined in a common life in order to consecrate their lives to God in prayer and penance. As a result of their community, in 1374, Fernández y Pecha, the prior of the original community of monks, founded the Monastery of Santa Maria de La Sisla near that city. He then looked after the women, guiding them and outlining for them a way of life similar to that of the monks. |
Alongside the Hieronymite monks, there are the Hieronymite nuns. They began in [[Toledo, Spain]], when María García (+1426) and Mayor Gómez headed a group of women who began living lives of simplicity and prayer. Finally, they joined in a common life in order to consecrate their lives to God in prayer and penance. As a result of their community, in 1374, Fernández y Pecha, the prior of the original community of monks, founded the Monastery of Santa Maria de La Sisla near that city. He then looked after the women, guiding them and outlining for them a way of life similar to that of the monks. |
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This first foundation was the origin of the Monastery of Saint Paul of the "''beatas de San Jerónimo''", as they began to be called. Their continued observance of their rules and sanctity led to their spread in various places throughout the Iberian Peninsula. |
This first foundation was the origin of the Monastery of Saint Paul of the "''beatas de San Jerónimo''", as they began to be called. Their continued observance of their rules and sanctity led to their spread in various places throughout the Iberian Peninsula and in [[New Spain]]. In 1585 in Mexico City, the convent of San Jerónimo y Santa Paula was founded.<ref>Asunción Lavrin, ''Brides of Christ: Conventual Life in Colonial Mexico''. Stanford: Stanford University Press 2008, 259.</ref> Seventeenth-century Hieronymite Sor [[Juana Inés de la Cruz]] was that convent's most famous member, known in her own era as "the Tenth Muse." |
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=== Other and ancient communities === |
=== Other and ancient communities === |
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* Hieronymites of the Observance (or of Lombardy): A reform of the above, effected by the third general in 1424; it embraced seven houses in Spain and seventeen in Italy, mostly in Lombardy. It is now extinct. |
* Hieronymites of the Observance (or of Lombardy): A reform of the above, effected by the third general in 1424; it embraced seven houses in Spain and seventeen in Italy, mostly in Lombardy. It is now extinct.{{sfn|Butler|1911|p=454}} |
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* Poor Hermits of Saint Jerome (Pisa): Established near [[Pisa]] in 1377, this congregation established nearly fifty houses, of which only two survive, one in [[Rome]] and one in [[Viterbo]], [[Italy]]. |
* Poor Hermits of Saint Jerome (Pisa): Established near [[Pisa]] in 1377, this congregation established nearly fifty houses, of which only two survive, one in [[Rome]] and one in [[Viterbo]], [[Italy]].{{sfn|Butler|1911|p=454}} |
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* Hermits of Saint Jerome (Fiesole): The congregation of [[Fiesole]] was established in 1406. They had forty houses but in 1668 they were united with those of Pisa. |
* Hermits of Saint Jerome (Fiesole): The congregation of [[Fiesole]] was established in 1406. They had forty houses but in 1668 they were united with those of Pisa.{{sfn|Butler|1911|p=454}} |
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* Hermits of Saint Jerome (Stiavnicke Bane, Slovakia): The Hieronymites established a congregation in [[Štiavnické Bane]] (or Siegelsberg, [[Hegybánya]]) in 1733, then the Kingdom of Hungary. They are now extinct. |
* Hermits of Saint Jerome (Stiavnicke Bane, Slovakia): The Hieronymites established a congregation in [[Štiavnické Bane]] (or Siegelsberg, [[Hegybánya]]) in 1733, then the Kingdom of Hungary. They are now extinct.{{sfn|Butler|1911|p=454}} |
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== Current communities == |
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== Presence of the Order of Saint Jerome == |
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[[File:El Parral claustro 03.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cloister of the [[Monastery of Santa María del Parral|Monastery of Parral]] ([[Segovia]], [[Spain]]).]] |
[[File:El Parral claustro 03.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cloister of the [[Monastery of Santa María del Parral|Monastery of Parral]] ([[Segovia]], [[Spain]]).]] |
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[[File:El Parral 01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Garden of the [[Monastery of Santa María del Parral|Monastery of Parral]] ([[Segovia]], [[Spain]]).]] |
[[File:El Parral 01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Garden of the [[Monastery of Santa María del Parral|Monastery of Parral]] ([[Segovia]], [[Spain]]).]] |
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=== Current communities of the Order of Saint Jerome in the world === |
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=== Male communities (cloistered monks) === |
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* [[Monastery of Santa María del Parral|Monastery of Saint Mary of Parral]] ([[Segovia]], [[Spain]]) – Founded in 1447 |
* [[Monastery of Santa María del Parral|Monastery of Saint Mary of Parral]] ([[Segovia]], [[Spain]]) – Founded in 1447 |
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=== Female communities (cloistered nuns) === |
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* Monastery of Saint Paul ([[Toledo, Spain]]) – Founded in 1464 |
* Monastery of Saint Paul ([[Toledo, Spain]]) – Founded in 1464 |
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* [[Convento de Santa Marta|Monastery of Saint Martha]] ([[Córdoba, Andalusia|Cordoba]], Spain) – Founded in 1464 |
* [[Convento de Santa Marta|Monastery of Saint Martha]] ([[Córdoba, Andalusia|Cordoba]], Spain) – Founded in 1464 |
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Guadalajara]], Spain) – Founded in 1572 |
Guadalajara]], Spain) – Founded in 1572 |
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* Monastery of Our Lady of Health (Garrovillas, [[Province of Cáceres|Cáceres]], Spain) – Founded in 1572 |
* Monastery of Our Lady of Health (Garrovillas, [[Province of Cáceres|Cáceres]], Spain) – Founded in 1572 |
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* Monastery of Corpus Christi (Madrid, Spain) – Founded in 1605 |
* [[Monastery of Corpus Christi las Carboneras]] (Madrid, Spain) – Founded in 1605 |
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* Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels ([[Constantina, Seville]], Spain) – Founded in 1951 |
* Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels ([[Constantina, Seville]], Spain) – Founded in 1951 |
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* Monastery of Our Lady of Mercy ([[Almodóvar del Campo]], [[Ciudad Real]], Spain) – Founded in 1964 |
* Monastery of Our Lady of Mercy ([[Almodóvar del Campo]], [[Ciudad Real]], Spain) – Founded in 1964 |
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* Monastery of Saint Mary of Jesus ([[Cáceres, Spain]]) – Founded in 1975 |
* Monastery of Saint Mary of Jesus ([[Cáceres, Spain]]) – Founded in 1975 |
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* Monastery of Our Lady of Bethlehem ([[Toral de los Guzmanes]], [[León, Spain]]) – Founded in 1990 |
* Monastery of Our Lady of Bethlehem ([[Toral de los Guzmanes]], [[León, Spain]]) – Founded in 1990 |
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* Monastery of Mater |
* Monastery of Mater Ecclesiae (Punalur, [[Kerala]], India) – Founded in 2000 |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Saint |
* [[Saint Marcella|Marcella]]: Saint Jerome corresponded with her, and he called her "the glory of the ladies of Cadereyta". |
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* [[Saint Paula]], co-patron of the Hieronymite Order with Saint Jerome. |
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* [[Saint Eustochium]], daughter of Saint Paula and an early Desert Mother. |
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* [[Saint Marcella]]: Saint Jerome corresponded with her, and he called her "the glory of the ladies of Cadereyta". |
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* [[Jerónimos Monastery]]: Hieronymite Monastery World Heritage site, Lisbon, Portugal. |
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* [[Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba]] (Valencia, Spain) |
* [[Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba]] (Valencia, Spain) |
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* [[Cristobal de Vera]] |
* [[Cristobal de Vera]] |
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* [[Juana Inés de la Cruz]] |
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== |
==Notes== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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==References== |
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*{{cite CE1913|last=Besse |first=Jean Martial Léon|wstitle=Hieronymites |volume=7}} |
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* [[Hippolyte Hélyot]], T.O.R., ''Histoire des ordres religieux'' (1714), iii. cc. 57-6o, iv. cc. 1-3; Max Heimbucher, ''Orden and Kongregationen'' (1896), i. 70; and art. " Hieronymiten " in Herzog-Hauck, ''Realencyklopädie'' (ed. 3), and in Welte and Wetzer, ''Kirchenlexicon'' (ed. 2). |
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'''Attribution:''' |
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{{1911}} |
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*{{EB1911|last=Butler |first=Edward Cuthbert |wstitle=Hieronymites|volume=13 |page=454}} This work in turn cites: |
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** [[Hippolyte Hélyot]], T.O.R., ''Histoire des ordres religieux'' (1714), iii. cc. 57–60, iv. cc. 1-3 |
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**Max Heimbucher, ''Orden and Kongregationen'' (1896), i. 70 |
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**"Hieronymiten" in Herzog-Hauck, ''Realencyklopädie'' (ed. 3). |
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**"Hieronymiten" in Welte and Wetzer, ''Kirchenlexicon'' (ed. 2). |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{commons category}} |
{{commons category}} |
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* [ |
* {{in lang|es}} [https://monjesjeronimos.es/ Order of Saint Jerome - Official Website] |
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* [ |
* {{in lang|es}} [https://monjesjeronimos.es/monjes/ Monastery of Saint Mary of Parral (Hieronymite monks in Segovia)] |
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* [http://www.santapaula.es/ Monastery of Saint Paula (Hieronymite nuns in Seville)] |
* {{in lang|es}} [http://www.santapaula.es/ Monastery of Saint Paula (Hieronymite nuns in Seville)] |
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* [http://jeronimasdecaceres.webnode.es/ Monastery of Saint Mary of Jesus (Hieronymite nuns in Cáceres)] |
* {{in lang|es}} [http://jeronimasdecaceres.webnode.es/ Monastery of Saint Mary of Jesus (Hieronymite nuns in Cáceres)] |
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* [http://www.jeronimasconstantina.com/ Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels (Hieronymite nuns in Constantina)] {{es icon}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Hieronymites| |
[[Category:Hieronymites| ]] |
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[[Category:Catholic orders and societies]] |
[[Category:Catholic orders and societies]] |
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[[Category:History of Catholicism in Spain]] |
[[Category:History of Catholicism in Spain]] |
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[[Category:Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba]] |
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Latest revision as of 11:58, 30 April 2024
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| Abbreviation | OSH |
|---|---|
| Formation | Late 14th century |
| Type | Catholic enclosed religious order |
| Headquarters | Orden de San Jerónimo Monasterio de Santa María del Parral Subida al Parral, 2 40003 - Segovia, Spain |
| Website | www.monjesjeronimos.es |
The Hieronymites or Jeronimites, also formally known as the Order of Saint Jerome (Latin: Ordo Sancti Hieronymi; abbreviated OSH), is a Catholic cloistered religious order and a common name for several congregations of hermit monks living according to the Rule of Saint Augustine, though the role principle of their lives is that of the 5th-century hermit and biblical scholar Jerome.
The principal group with this name was founded in the Iberian Peninsula around the 14th century. Their religious habit is a white tunic with a brown, hooded scapular and a brown mantle. For liturgical services, they wear a brown cowl.
Iberian Hieronymites
[edit]
Origins
[edit]Established near Toledo, Spain, the order developed from a spontaneous interest of a number of eremitical communities in both Spain and Portugal imitating the life of Jerome and Paula of Rome. This way of life soon became widespread in Spain. Two of these hermits, Pedro Fernández y Pecha and Fernando Yáñez y de Figueroa, decided it would be more advantageous to live a more regular way of life in a community, under an authorized monastic rule.[1]
Under their leadership, the Monastery of Saint Bartholomew was then founded in Lupiana, with Fernández y Pecha acting as the first prior. On 18 October 1373, Pope Gregory XI issued a papal bull recognizing them as a religious order, under the Rule of Saint Augustine. The constitutions included the teachings of their patron saint. By 1415 there numbered 25 houses following this spirit; in that year, they were united by the Pope and given the status of an exempt order, free from episcopal jurisdiction.[2]
From its outset, the order enjoyed great favor from the king of Spain, and soon possessed some of the most famous monasteries in the Iberian Peninsula: including the Royal Monastery of Saint Mary of Guadalupe in Extremadura, Spain; the Royal Monastery of Saint Mary of Bethlehem in Lisbon, Portugal; and the magnificent monastery built by Philip II of Spain at El Escorial, where the kings of Spain were buried.[3][4]
Though their way of life was very austere, the Hieronymites also devoted themselves to study and to active ministry, possessing great influence at the courts both of Spain and of Portugal. In the 16th century they were a major supporter of the efforts of the Portuguese mystic John of God, who established the nursing order in Granada bearing his name. Missionaries to both Spanish and Portuguese America played a considerable part spreading Christianity in the New World.
Hieronymite nuns were founded in 1375 by Maria Garcias, and became numerous throughout the Iberian peninsula.[3]
Religious habit
[edit].svg)
The members of the order (monks and nuns) adopted as their religious habit a white tunic with a brown scapular (similar to the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel used by the Carmelites) and a hood, over which is worn a brown mantle or cowl of the same color.[4]
American mission
[edit]The islands of the Antilles in the Caribbean were entrusted to them for pastoral care by Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, who sent a small party of three monks to Hispaniola. They were originally sent to deal with the issue of accusations against the Spanish colonists of atrocities against the native population. These charges had been most vocally leveled by the noted priest Bartolomé de las Casas, who was a secular priest at the time. They appear to have been ineffectual in preventing the abuses which de la Casas had charged.
The leader of the monks, Luis de Figueroa, was later named the third bishop of Santo Domingo in 1523, which at the time also included the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico. He died in 1526, before he could be consecrated as a bishop.[5] Another member of the order, Juan de Arzolaras (or Alzóloras), served as the Archbishop of Santo Domingo (1566–1568), before being transferred to serve as the Bishop of the Canary Islands.
Modern era
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The men's branch of the order declined during the 18th century and was completely suppressed in 1835 by the Spanish government.[3] At that time, there were 48 monasteries with about a thousand monks. The fate of the monastery buildings was varied. Most of them fell into ruins, others were given to other religious orders, still others became breweries, barns, or holiday homes.
According to canon law, only the Holy See may suppress a religious order, and the Holy See possesses the right to restore that order should it see fit, for up to a century.[6] In 1925, the Hieronymite nuns (who were not affected by the suppression) petitioned the Holy See for a restoration of the men's branch. This was granted, with a new community of monks being established at the Monastery of Saint Mary of Parral in Segovia. However, the troubles of the Republic of 1931 and of the subsequent Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 prevented any real progress until the general government of the order was constituted in 1969.
As of 2012 one community of monks exists, that of Saint Mary of Parral, and 18 monasteries of nuns (17 in Spain and one in India). The Hieronymite Order is a monastic one, now purely contemplative. Through solitude and silence, assiduous prayer, and healthy penance, the order attempts to bring its monks into closer union with God. The Hieronymite is conscious that the more intensely he dedicates himself to the monastic life, the more fruitful becomes the life of the Church as a whole. Hieronymites believe that their prayer can have a profound impact on the world outside the monastery.
This is the environment in which the life of the Hieronymite monk is developed, with the morning usually spent in manual work—the normal means of support for monks—while afternoons are dedicated to contemplation, prayer and study. Throughout the course of the day, the monks also gather for the singing of the Liturgy of the Hours as well as the celebration of the Eucharist. The Hieronymite strives to allow these moments of prayer to flow through his way of life, so that his goal is to express his life in complete charity towards all people.
Hieronymites believe this inwardly-directed manner of life is an exquisite and effective form of apostolic outreach. They believe that in the middle of a restless world, there are those who are called by God to spend some time living in monastic solitude. For this reason, Hieronymite monasteries readily welcome visitors who are guaranteed silence and prayerful support.[2]
As of 2010, there were 11 monks in the order, of whom four were priests. This is down from a high of 21 monks in 1990.[7]
The nuns of the Order
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Alongside the Hieronymite monks, there are the Hieronymite nuns. They began in Toledo, Spain, when María García (+1426) and Mayor Gómez headed a group of women who began living lives of simplicity and prayer. Finally, they joined in a common life in order to consecrate their lives to God in prayer and penance. As a result of their community, in 1374, Fernández y Pecha, the prior of the original community of monks, founded the Monastery of Santa Maria de La Sisla near that city. He then looked after the women, guiding them and outlining for them a way of life similar to that of the monks.
This first foundation was the origin of the Monastery of Saint Paul of the "beatas de San Jerónimo", as they began to be called. Their continued observance of their rules and sanctity led to their spread in various places throughout the Iberian Peninsula and in New Spain. In 1585 in Mexico City, the convent of San Jerónimo y Santa Paula was founded.[8] Seventeenth-century Hieronymite Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was that convent's most famous member, known in her own era as "the Tenth Muse."
Other and ancient communities
[edit]- Hieronymites of the Observance (or of Lombardy): A reform of the above, effected by the third general in 1424; it embraced seven houses in Spain and seventeen in Italy, mostly in Lombardy. It is now extinct.[3]
- Poor Hermits of Saint Jerome (Pisa): Established near Pisa in 1377, this congregation established nearly fifty houses, of which only two survive, one in Rome and one in Viterbo, Italy.[3]
- Hermits of Saint Jerome (Fiesole): The congregation of Fiesole was established in 1406. They had forty houses but in 1668 they were united with those of Pisa.[3]
- Hermits of Saint Jerome (Stiavnicke Bane, Slovakia): The Hieronymites established a congregation in Štiavnické Bane (or Siegelsberg, Hegybánya) in 1733, then the Kingdom of Hungary. They are now extinct.[3]
Current communities
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Male communities (cloistered monks)[edit]
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Female communities (cloistered nuns)[edit]
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See also
[edit]- Marcella: Saint Jerome corresponded with her, and he called her "the glory of the ladies of Cadereyta".
- Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba (Valencia, Spain)
- Cristobal de Vera
Notes
[edit]- ^ "La Orden de San Jerónimo" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ a b "La Orden.La Orden de San Jerónimo". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Butler 1911, p. 454.
- ^ a b Besse 1910.
- ^ Cheney, David M. "Father Luis de Figueroa [Catholic-Hierarchy]". Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Code of Canon Law: text - IntraText CT". Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ Cheney, David M. "Orden de San Jerónimo (Institute of Consecrated Life) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ^ Asunción Lavrin, Brides of Christ: Conventual Life in Colonial Mexico. Stanford: Stanford University Press 2008, 259.
References
[edit]- Besse, Jean Martial Léon (1910). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Attribution:
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Butler, Edward Cuthbert (1911). "Hieronymites". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 454. This work in turn cites:
- Hippolyte Hélyot, T.O.R., Histoire des ordres religieux (1714), iii. cc. 57–60, iv. cc. 1-3
- Max Heimbucher, Orden and Kongregationen (1896), i. 70
- "Hieronymiten" in Herzog-Hauck, Realencyklopädie (ed. 3).
- "Hieronymiten" in Welte and Wetzer, Kirchenlexicon (ed. 2).
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Order of Saint Jerome.
- (in Spanish) Order of Saint Jerome - Official Website
- (in Spanish) Monastery of Saint Mary of Parral (Hieronymite monks in Segovia)
- (in Spanish) Monastery of Saint Paula (Hieronymite nuns in Seville)
- (in Spanish) Monastery of Saint Mary of Jesus (Hieronymite nuns in Cáceres)
