The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives (; abbreviated OSsT), is a

mendicant order Mendicant orders are primarily certain Catholic religious orders that have vowed for their male members a lifestyle of poverty, traveling, and living in urban areas for purposes of preaching, evangelization, and ministry, especially to less we ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

for men founded in Cerfroid, outside

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, in the late 12th century. From the very outset, a special dedication to the mystery of the

Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

has been a constitutive element of the order's life. Papal documents refer to the founder only as Brother John, but tradition identifies him as John de Matha, whose

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is celebrated on 17 December. The founding-intention for the order was the

ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...

of Christians held captive by

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, a consequence of crusading and of piracy along the

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coast of Europe.

Background

Between the eighth and the fifteenth centuries medieval Europe was in a state of intermittent warfare between the Christian kingdoms of southern Europe and the Muslim polities of North Africa, Southern France, Sicily and portions of Spain. According to James W. Brodman, the threat of capture, whether by pirates or coastal raiders, or during one of the region's intermittent wars, was a continuous threat to residents of

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

, and the other coastal provinces of medieval Christian Europe. Raids by militias, bands, and armies from both sides was an almost annual occurrence. The redemption of captives is listed among the corporal works of mercy. The period of the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

, when so many Christians were in danger of falling into the hands of Muslims, witnessed the rise of religious orders vowed exclusively to this pious work.

History

Carreno-de-miranda Orden de los Trinitarios

The Order of the Trinitarians (Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives) was founded by St. John de Matha after his vision of Christ with two captives around 1193.

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

granted the order and its rule approval with his letter ''Operante divine dispositionis clementia,'' issued on 17 December 1198. Soon after papal approbation, the Trinitarian ministry to Christian captives was incorporated into the Order's title: ''Order of the Holy Trinity and of Captives''. In addition to the Order's purpose of ransoming Christian captives, each local community of Trinitarians served the people of its area. And so, their ministry included hospitality, care of the sick and poor, churches, education, etc. Eventually, the Trinitarians also assumed the work of

evangelization Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

. Brother John's founding intention expanded quickly beyond the three initial foundations (Cerfroid, Planels,

Bourg-la-Reine Bourg-la-Reine () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. History In 1792, during the French Revolution, Bourg-la-Reine (meaning "Town of the Queen") w ...

) into a considerable network of houses committed to the ransom of Christian captives and the works of mercy conducted in their locales. Trinitarian tradition considers St. Felix of Valois co-founder of the Order and companion of John of Matha at Cerfroid, near Paris. In Cerfroid the first Trinitarian community was established and it is considered the mother house of the whole Order. Among the earliest recruits were some Englishmen, and the first to go on the special mission of the order were two English friars, who in 1200 went to

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

and returned to France with 186 liberated Christian captives. The first generation of Trinitarians could count some fifty foundations. In northern France, the Trinitarians were known as "Mathurins" because they were based in the church of Saint-Mathurin in Paris from 1228 onwards. Ransoming captives required economic resources. Fundraising and economic expertise constituted important aspects of the Order's life. The Rule's requirement of "the tertia pars", or setting aside one-third of all income for the ransom of Christian captives, became a noted characteristic of the Order.

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis ...

installed a house of their order in his château of Fontainebleau. He chose Trinitarians as his chaplains, and was accompanied by them on his crusades. The Master of the Trinity was taken captive together with Louis IX after the Battle of Al Mansurah. The Order of the Most Holy Trinity has its own rule of life approved by Pope Innocent III in 1198. The habit was white, with the red and blue cross depicted above on the breast. Through the centuries, the Trinitarian Rule underwent several revisions, notably in 1267 and in 1631. It has been complemented by

statutes A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...

and

constitutions A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

. The thirteenth century was a time of vitality, whereas the following centuries brought periods of difficulty and even decline in some areas. The

Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...

(1545–1563) was a major turning-point in the life of the Catholic Church. Its twenty-fifth session dealt with regulars and

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s and the reform of

religious order A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...

s. Reforming interests and energies manifested themselves among Trinitarians in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

with the foundation at

Pontoise Pontoise () is a commune north of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise. Administration Pontoise is the official (capital) of the Val-d'Oise '' département'', although in reality the ' ...

, north of Paris, during the last quarter of the sixteenth century. Reform-minded Trinitarians in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

first established the movement known as the Recollection and then, under the leadership of St. John Baptist of the Conception, a movement at Valdepeñas (Ciudad Real) known as the Spanish Discalced Trinitarians at the very end of the sixteenth century. Far-reaching periods of growth and development followed this rebirth, and at the beginning of the 18th century there were still 250 houses. Emblem Trinitarian Order Rome

In succeeding centuries, European events such as revolution, government suppression and civil war had very serious consequences for the Trinitarian Order and it declined significantly. During the last decades of the nineteenth century, the Trinitarians began to grow slowly in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and Spain. Its members dedicated themselves to fostering and promoting devotion to the Holy Trinity, evangelising non-Christians, assisting

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

, educating the young, and to

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

work.

The Trinitarian Family

Today the Trinitarian family is composed of priests, brothers, women (cloistered nuns and active sisters) as well as committed

laity In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all Church membership, members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-Ordination, ordained members of religious orders, e ...

. Members of the Trinitarian family include the Trinitarian religious; the Trinitarian contemplative nuns; the Trinitarian Sisters of Valence; the Trinitarian Sisters of Rome, Valencia, Madrid, Mallorca, and Seville; the Oblates of the Most Holy Trinity; the Third Order Secular (tertiaries) and other Trinitarian laity. All are distinguished by the

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

of red and blue which dates from the origins of the Order. Trinitarians are found throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

as well as in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

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Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Third Order Secular of the Most Holy Trinity

In 2000 the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life approved "The Trinitarian Way" rule of life which would guide all the lay groups associated with the Trinitarians: the Third Order Secular, the Trinitarian Movement, Confraternities, etc. There have been ''tertiaries'' of the ''Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives'' since the beginnings of the Order though they were not known by that name. Lay ''confreres'' were admitted already in 1198 by the permission of

. Statutes attributed to William the Scotsman, the third Minister General of the Order (1217–1222), give some idea of the primitive organization of the Trinitarian Fraternity. In the 1203 contract between the Bishop of Arles and St. John de Matha, reference is made to affiliates of the convent. There were Trinitarian Confraternities, of the Redemption, and of Our Lady of Remedy aggregated to the Order. The first known ''Statutes of the Trinitarian Third Order'' were published in 1584, and were approved by the General of the Order, Father Bernard Dominici. The first ''Rule of Life'' for the Third Order attached to the Discalced Trinitarians was approved by Pope Leo XII on 6 June 1828.

Charism

The Glory of the Most Holy Trinity and the ransom of Christian Captives. Along with the Order's mission of ransoming Christian captives, each Trinitarian Community served the people of its area by performing works of mercy; redemption and mercy are at the center of the Trinitarian charism.

Our Lady of Good Remedy

Our Lady of Good Remedy is the patroness of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity. Devotion to Mary under this ancient title is widely known in Europe and Latin America. Her feast day is celebrated on 8 October.

Scapular of the Most Blessed Trinity

The Scapular of the Holy Trinity is a devotional scapular associated with the Confraternity of The Holy Trinity and the Third Order Secular of the Most Holy Trinity. It is a white scapular with a cross of which the transverse shaft is blue and the longitudinal shaft red. It is worn by Tertiaries as well as members of the Confraternity of the Blessed Trinity (or other Trinitarian associations that make use of the scapular) after investment with this scapular. It is a sign of consecration to the Holy Trinity and of fraternity.

Saints, Blesseds, and other holy people

Saints * Félix de Valois (16 April 1127 – 4 November 1212), founder of the Order, canonized on 21 October 1666 * Jean de Matha (23 June 1160 – 17 December 1213), founder of the Order, canonized on 21 October 1666 * Juan Bautista of the Conception (10 July 1561 – 14 February 1613), founder of the Order of Discalced Trinitarians, canonized on 25 May 1975 * Simón de Rojas (28 October 1552 – 29 September 1624), priest and "Apostle of the Ave Maria", canonized on 3 July 1988 Blesseds * Marcos Criado Guelamo (25 April 1522 - 25 September 1569), martyr, beatified on 24 June 1899 * Elisabetta Canori Mora (21 November 1774 - 5 February 1825), Secular Trinitarian, beatified on 24 April 1994 * Anna Maria Giannetti Taigi (29 May 1769 – 9 June 1837), Secular Trinitarian, beatified on 30 May 1920 * Domingo Iturrate Zubero of the Blessed Sacrament (11 May 1901 – 7 April 1927), priest, beatified on 30 October 1983 * Hermenegildo Iza Aregita of the Assumption and 5 Companions (died 27 August 1936), Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War from Ciudad Real, beatified on 13 October 2013 * Mariano Altolaguirre y Altolaguirre of Saint Joseph and 9 Companions (died between July 1936 to April 1937), Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War from Cuenca and Jaen, beatified on 28 October 2007 Venerables * Rodrigo Bustos Sánchez (Tomás of the Virgin) (21 January 1587 - 7 October 1647), priest, declared Venerable on 22 September 1805 * Francisco de Asís Méndez Casariego (21 June 1850 - 1 April 1924), founder of the Trinitarian Sisters of Madrid, declared Venerable on 2 April 1993 * María Ana Allsopp González-Manrique (Mariana of the Holy Trinity) (24 November 1854 - 15 March 1933), cofounder of the Trinitarian Sisters of Madrid, declared Venerable on 21 May 2022 * Maria Cäcilia Autsch (Angela Maria of the Heart of Jesus) (26 March 1900 - 23 December 1944), professed religious of the Trinitarian Sisters of Valencia, declared Venerable on 19 May 2018 * Félix Monasterio Ateca of the Virgin (2 May 1902 - 17 January 1951), priest, declared Venerable on 26 March 1994 * Giuseppe di Donna (23 August 1901 - 2 January 1952), Bishop of Andria, declared Venerable on 3 July 2008 Servants of God * Juan del Aguila (early February 1553 - 5 June 1613), martyred in Algeria * Juan Maroto García of Saint Joseph (7 September 1586 - 1 January 1616), priest * Juan de Palacios (c. 1560 - 20 September 1616), martyred in Algeria * Bernardo de Monroy (c. 1559 - 31 July 1622), martyred in Algeria * Angela María Tabares Martínez of the Conception (1 March 1649 - 13 April 1690), professed religious of the Trinitarian Nuns and reformer * Anna Cucchiari (Maria Teresa of the Holy Trinity) (10 November 1734 - 10 June 1801), founder of the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinitarian Sisters of Rome), declared a Servant of God on 16 February 1996 * Marie-Magdeleine-Euphrasie Hugon (Marie-Séraphia) (10 April 1828 - 17 March 1900), professed religious of the Trinitarian Sisters of Valence * Félix de Uriarte Olaeta de la Sagrada Familia (12 October 1903 - 23 July 1936), Martyr of the Spanish Civil War from the Diocese of Malaga, declared a Servant of God on 27 September 2016

References

Sources

* * Witko, Andrew. ''The Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives'', 2008

External links

Letter Of Pope John Paul II To The Minister General Of The Order Of The Most Holy Trinity

Trinitarian Official site

Trinitarian Order

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scapular Of The Most Blessed Trinity Mendicant orders Christian religious orders established in the 12th century Catholic devotions Scapulars