Leicester Friars of the Sack is a former Friary of
The Friars of the Order of the Penitence of Jesus Christ (more commonly known as the "Brothers of Penitence" or the "Friars of the Sack"), in
Leicester,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
History
The Friars of the Sack were so called because of their simple clothing usually made from sackcloth. The order was founded in Italy and first arrived in England during the reign of
King Henry III; opening their first friary in London in 1257.
Pope Gregory X
Pope Gregory X ( la, Gregorius X; – 10 January 1276), born Teobaldo Visconti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 September 1271 to his death and was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. He was ...
suppressed the order in 1274 leading to the closure of the European friaries of the order. Those in England, however, continued to operate without Papal legitimacy; some until the final
dissolution of the monasteries under
King Henry VIII.
[F.A. Gasquet, ''English Monastic Life'', pp. 234-242.]
The Brothers of Penitence lived a severe life. They wore rough sackcloth and walked either barefoot or with simple wooden sandals. The friars of the order never ate meat and were only allowed to drink water.
[
The Leicester Friary was founded before 1283.][ The friary is thought to have been located just beyond the Western Gate of Leicester's old town walls.][Thomas Moule, ''The English Counties Delineated, Volume 2'', p.87.] The friary was closed before 1295, when Oliver Sutton, Bishop of Lincoln, forbade the former site from being converted for secular use.[
Only one Prior is known: Richard, who is recorded in 1283.][Friaries: Friaries in Leicester]
''A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 2'' (1954), pp. 33-35. Date accessed: 27 June 2013
References
{{Monasteries in Leicestershire , state=expanded
Monasteries in Leicestershire