Order of the minor brothers

The Order franciscain , or Order of the minor brothers (o.f.m. - ordo fratrum minorum ), is a catholic religious order born in Italy under the impulse from François d' Assise in 1210.

François d' Assise and the foundation about the minor brothers

François d' Assise is an young man resulting from a rich person commercial family -   his/her father sells carpets as far as France, from where the first name of Francesco   - which carries out a dissipated youth. He wants to become knight and is made imprison one year, following a war between his city, Assise, and the city close to Perugia. Following its detention, it falls seriously sick and converts.

It creates in 1209 a Confrérie primitive, founded on total poverty and preaching. His/her first companions are Bernard de Quintavalle and Pierre de Catane. François sends his fellow-members two by two in all the areas around Assise. The brothers live work of their hands and alms. Very quickly, the community meets a very great success.

In 1210, the pope Innocent III (it is named thus to honor the Christians killed without reason) approves the new community verbally. François chooses the name of minor brothers by reference to “smaller among us” about which the Évangile S (MT 25:40 - 45) speak. In 1212, it is joined by Claire, young girl of noble and rich family, which was converted by François. It will be the foundation of the Poor ladies, the Clarisses, second order franciscain. In 1221, Franciscains increase by the foundation of the third-order, reserved for the secular ones. François thus extends the biblical ideal to all and allows each one to recognize himself in the Christ without giving up the secular world.

In 1217, a first organization is given to the order: the Italy is cut out in provinces, each one having at its head a “provincial minister”. François opposes any form of more thorough organization. In parallel, of the groups of missionaries are sent in Palestine. François himself leaves, leaving the order between the hands of two general vicars, among whom Pierre de Catane. Those decide Honorius III to publish a bubble imposing a one year old noviciate, a formal profession of wishes and a control of preaching.

To its return in 1220, François is opposed to these changes. Constrained to give a formal constitution to the order, it writes the Regula PRIMA . It is based on the total respect of the lesson of Jesus-Christ. Considered to be too long and too strict, is replaced in 1223 by one second rule, it also with the hand of Francois, is approved by bubble by Honorius III, from where its name of Regula bullata . This rule much less severe is written following tensions inside the Order: part of the brothers considers that evangelic poverty is too hard to support and wishes to have convents or books. Finally François yields under the pressure of Hugolin brother and Elie brother. He writes in 1225 the Cantique of Brother Sun . He receives the marks of the Passion of Christ little time before his death.

In 1220, François had left the head of the order, and had entrusted it to Pierre de Catane, become his vicar. To died from this last in 1221, vicariate passes to Élie de Cortone. François d' Assise dies in 1226, leaving a Testament where he professes his attachment with evangelic poverty. In 1227, Élie de Cortone convenes a general chapter, which elects Giovanni Parenti general minister.

The quarrel of the spiritual ones

As of the death of the founder, the conflicts burst. In 1230, the pope Gregoire IX exemption Franciscains to follow the will of the founder. The order is standardized by Saint Bonaventure, minister general of 1257 with 1274: one insists less on poverty and one is interested in the mental and pastoral activities.

A tendency is opposed to this evolution and makes a point of preserving the absolute poverty praised by François d' Assise. They are the Spirituels, so called zelanti in Italy; more the extremists of them will form the group of the Fraticelles which will be condemned like heretics and will be delivered to the Inquisition. They are very marked also by the eschatologic thought and apocalyptic of Joachim de Flore. As the pit grows hollow between them and the conventual (name given to the partisans of the evolution of the order), they are done more critical of the Church and the Pape.

The spiritual hearths are in the Languedoc (Pierre-Jean Olieu, or Pierre of Jean Olivi), in Toscane (Ubertin de Casale) and in the Marches (Ange Clareno, Pierre de Macerata). They are quickly shown of heresy. In 1323, the pope Jean XXII rule the question of poverty by declaring by its bubble Cum inter nonnullos that the poverty of Jesus and the Apôtre S was not absolute. Good number of spiritual are imprisoned and the fraticelles ones are delivered to the Inquisition; and the leaders die on the Bûcher or in prison at the 14th century.

Description

Franciscains carried a gray wool froc, with a belt of cord and a short and round cap. They had the right to be delivered in their churches to the confession and preaching. These monks, protected by the popes, spread themselves by all Europe, and counted soon thousands of monasteries, enriched by piety by the faithful ones.

Competitions with the Dominican ones

Franciscains were in competition with the Dominicain S, especially since their introduction into the pulpits of the Université of Paris.

In the curricular area of philosophy and theology, the two orders had for principal champions, at Franciscains Duns Scot, at Dominican the Saint Thomas, who for a long time divided the school into Scotiste S and Thomiste S. Cependant, these two Ordres beggars, founded in the 13th century in the same preoccupation with a return to the Gospel and also supported by Papacy, frequently collaborated in the field of the apostolate, especially in the remote missions, and carried out jointly the defense of the orders beggars against the attacks of the secular Masters.

The Communities

This order gave rise to a crowd of particular communities, either men, or women.

Most known are:

  • for the men :
    • the Fathers of the Observance , exposed monks, founded in Italy in 1363, by Paul de Foligno;
    • the Récollets or collected ( Re-collecti );
    • the Cordeliers , name which took Franciscains established in France, allotted by Jean of Beaufort at the time of the Seventh crusade;
    • the Capucins , which were characterized by a long beard and a pointed cap;
    • the Célestins , etc

In 1221, Saint François had founded moreover a Third-Order for the Séculier S which wanted to be associated with the evangelic lifestyle with the Minor Brothers (some deviating members of this kind are the Béguins ), and of the monks: the regular Third-Order, like the Picpuces , thus called Monastery of Picpus, close to Paris, where they were established.

The totality of the monks of the two sexes of St-François was at the 17th century of 115.000 monks and 28.000 nuns, divided in 8.000 convents.

They disappeared from France, with the other religious orders, in 1790, but they remained at the 19th century in Europe especially in Italy, in the Middle East and in South America. The capuchins and Franciscains reappeared in France starting from 1850.

Since the 14th century, Franciscains are the guards many sanctuaries into Ground-Holy, of which the the Holy Sepulchre with Jerusalem.

Nowadays

Today, the franciscaine family breaks up as follows:

  • First order

    • brothers Franciscains or minor brothers of the union léonienne (sunk brown dress, cap of round form, girdles of cord and sandals).
    • brothers minor capuchins or brothers capuchins (they are carrying a cap, of a dark brown frieze, sandals and formerly of a beard)
    • brothers Conventuels or conventual minor Frères (black dress, white cord and large cap doubles), still called Cordeliers
  • Second order
  • Third-order
    • regular Third-order (sisters franciscaines or priests) since 1221 (approximately 850 members)
    • secular Third-order: Fraternities laic (laic single people or married)

International Franciscans

Franciscans International is a non-governmental organization (ONG) equipped with the advisory statute (general category) at UNO. It is the spokesperson of the Franciscaine Family in the whole world. For now 25 years, it has been with the service of the sisters and the brothers and extends his engagement at all the human community by integrating the spiritual, ethical values and franciscaines with the forums and programs of the United Nations.

Personalities

The popes Nicolas IV, Alexandre V, Sixth IV, Sixth-Quint and Clément XIV also belonged to the order of Franciscains.

Related articles

External bonds

franciscain
  • the encyclopedia wiki franciscaine
  • the family franciscaine
  • Oliviana, scientific magazine devoted to the history of the spiritual orders, in the order franciscain and its neighborhoods
  • International Franciscans, ONG representing the Franciscaine Family at the United Nations

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