Hieronymites

Jerónimos (also Hieronymianer, Hermits of St. Jerome ) are a Christian religious order chaplain, who has chosen the Saints Jerome became the patron saint. It is an Iberian Order, which has experienced ups mainly in Spain and Portugal. The Order uses the Sigel OSH.

History

Formation

Middle of the 14th century saw various groups of hermits who sought to imitate the life of Saint Jerome. Important personalities of this start-up phase were Pedro Fernández and Fernando Yáñez de Figueroa Pecha. On October 18, 1373 issued by Pope Gregory XI. Avignon in a bull, according to which these groups the rule of St. Augustine einhielten and spirituality Hieronymus ' followed. The new order had its headquarters in San Bartolomé thanks Pecha monastery in Lupiana in the province of Guadalajara. In 1415 it consisted of 25 monasteries.

The Spanish royal family preferred the hieronymitischen Medal for his austerity and penitence, and thought many of the foundations rich. Among them were the monasteries of Guadalupe in the province of Cáceres, Fresdelval in the province of Burgos, Yuste, the elected Charles V. to his retirement home, Mirat in Salamanca, one in Madrid, which belonged to the palace of Buen Retiro, and especially the Monastery of El Escorial, which was chosen by Philip II to the royal grave lay.

The Hieronymitinnen

At the same time, communities of Hieronymitinnen emerged. A group of women, among whom María García Gómez and Mayor are particularly worthy of mention, began to practice in works of humility and charity, until they decided to devote himself entirely to the spiritual life of prayer and penance.

Pedro Fernández Pecha founded in 1374 the monastery of Sisla near Toledo. He took care of the nuns and turned her life from the model of the newly founded hieronymitischen Order. The Hieronymitinnen received the same rule applies, as an example the holy Paula and the holy Eustochium who followed St. Jerome.

Today the Hieronymitinnen among other things, for their exquisite confectionery production are known.

The Jerónimos in Portugal

The Jerónimos spread out even after Portugal. Just as in Castile, they were there preferred by the royal family. Manuel I trusted them to the monastery of Jerónimos in Lisbon Betlehemitischen, an architectural masterpiece of Manueline. It was raised to royal grave lay.

1833 Order of the governance was dissolved, which meant its total annihilation in Portugal.

Congregations

The Congregation was founded in 1380 by Carlo di Fiesole Montegraneli was dissolved again in 1688. Also in 1380 was founded by Peter Gamba Corti in Montebello (Umbria ) a branch of Jerónimos, which eventually called itself the poor Hermits of St. Jerome of the Congregation of the Blessed Peter of Pisa and then spread in Tyrol, Styria and Bavaria. Lope de Olmeda founded in 1424, the Italian Congregation of the Jerónimos of the Observance, which was confirmed by Martin V.. From these foundations is not obtained.

Destruction and restoration

In the 19th century Jerónimos lived through the same difficulties as all other religious orders in Spain. They had to suffer three resolution waves, 1808-1813, 1820-1823 and finally in 1836 as a result of secularization, which meant the expropriation of all the monasteries and the release of all monks. It affected 48 monasteries and several thousand monks. Since there was no Jerónimos outside Spain, this should have be the end of the Order.

The Hieronymitinnen continued to exist, however, and would aim the revival of the monastic order. In 1925 she received from the Holy See the rescript to the restoration of the Order of St. Jerome, a canonical principle as that allows to revive a legal person within a hundred years of its deletion.

The resurrected the Order had to survive several difficulties, the secular policy of the Republic in 1931, the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939 as well as internal difficulties, who were his advance until he could establish his General Authority in 1969.

Today

At present, the male branch of the order has few members. There are only two monastery, El Parral (Ávila ) / Segovia and at Yuste. In contrast, there are 17 Hieronymitinnenklöster.

Spiritual Life

The Order of Jerónimos is a contemplative order, which is based on the life of Saint Jerome, to follow Jesus of Nazareth on the way of perfection. In the morning the life of the monks of the work is dedicated, in the afternoon of contemplative and intellectual exercise in prayer, reading, studying, etc. During the day, the liturgical hours of prayer and the monastic fair will be held.

In addition, the Hieronymitenorden " since its inception intended to be small, humble, hidden and withdrawn to lead his children on a narrow path, to ensure within its walls for the health of their souls by devoting themselves constantly to the divine praise, them for the challenges entschädigend they meet elsewhere: praying, singing and crying serve the Church and appease the wrath of God upon the sins of the world ".

Habit

The habit consists of a white skirt of coarse cloth, a small hood and a scapular, both dyed black. The Hieronymitinnen wear a white dress with a brown scapular.

Famous Jerónimos

• Juana Inés de la Cruz, humanist, scientist, theologian, philosopher, poet and dramaturge, forerunner of the Enlightenment
• Hernando de Talavera, confessor Isabella the Catholic and became the first Archbishop of Granada
• Jose de Siguenza, historian, theologian and poet
• Nicolás Borrás, Valencian painter of the Renaissance
• Ambrosio de Morales, a professor of rhetoric at the University of Alcalá, chronicler of the Castilian kingdom
• Antonio de Villacastín, builder, construction director of the Escorial
• Ramón Pané, first missionary and ethnologist America, his work Relación Acerca de las Antigüedades de los indios ever seen from 1498 is about the mythology, religion and culture of the Taínos the first American book
• Antonio Soler, composer