Editing Dominican Order (section)

==Foundation==
The Dominican Order was established during the Middle Ages at a time when men of God were no longer expected to stay behind the walls of a [[cloister]]. Instead, they travelled among the people, taking as their examples the apostles of the primitive Church. Out of this ideal emerged two orders of mendicant friars – one, the Friars Minor, led by [[Francis of Assisi]]; the other, the Friars Preachers, led by [[Saint Dominic|Dominic de Guzmán]]. Like his contemporary, Francis, Dominic saw the need for a new type of organization, and the quick growth of the Dominicans and [[Franciscans]] during their first century of existence confirms that conditions were favorable for the growth of the [[Mendicant orders|orders of mendicant friars]]. The Dominicans and other mendicant orders may have been an adaptation to the rise of the profit economy in medieval Europe.{{sfn|Little|1983}}

Dominic sought to establish a new kind of order, one that would bring the dedication and systematic education of the older monastic orders like the [[Benedictine]]s to bear on the religious problems of the burgeoning population of cities, but with more organizational flexibility than either monastic orders or the secular clergy. The Order of Preachers was founded in response to a perceived need for informed preaching.<ref name="dominicanfriars.org" />{{Better source|date=April 2025}} Dominic's new order was to be trained to preach in the [[vernacular]] languages.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}

Dominic inspired his followers with loyalty to learning and virtue, a deep recognition of the spiritual power of worldly deprivation and the religious state, and a highly developed governmental structure.{{sfn|Hinnebusch|1975|p=7}} At the same time, Dominic inspired the members of his order to develop a "mixed" spirituality. They were both active in preaching, and contemplative in study, prayer and meditation. The brethren of the Dominican Order were urbane and learned, as well as contemplative and mystical in their spirituality. While these traits affected the women of the order, the nuns especially absorbed the latter characteristics and made those characteristics their own. In England, the Dominican nuns blended these elements with the defining characteristics of English Dominican spirituality and created a spirituality and collective personality that set them apart.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}

===Dominic de Guzmán===
{{Main|Saint Dominic}}
[[File:Santo Domingo en oración.jpg|thumb|left|[[Saint Dominic]] (1170–1221), portrait by [[El Greco]], about 1600]]

As an adolescent, Dominic de Guzmán had a particular love of theology, and the Scriptures became the foundation of his spirituality.{{sfn|Hinnebusch|1975|p=17}} During his studies in [[Palencia]], Spain, there was a dreadful famine, prompting Dominic to sell all of his beloved books and other equipment to help his neighbours.{{sfn|Tugwell|1982|p=53}} He was made a canon and ordained to the priesthood in the monastery of Santa María de La Vid.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Hook|first=Walter Farquhar|title=An ecclesiastical biography, containing the lives of ancient fathers and modern divines, interspersed with notices of heretics and schismatics, forming a brief history of the church in every age|publisher=[[Rivington (publishers)|F. and J. Rivington]]; Parker, Oxford; J. and J. J. Deighton, Cambridge; T. Harrison, Leeds|year=1848|volume=4|location=London|pages=467}}</ref> After completing his studies, Bishop Martin Bazan and [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|Prior]] [[Diego de Acebo]] appointed him to the cathedral chapter of [[Osma]].{{sfn|Hinnebusch|1975|p=19}}

===Preaching to the Cathars===
In 1203, Dominic de Guzmán joined [[Diego de Acebo]], the [[Bishop of Osma]], on a [[diplomatic mission]] to Denmark for the monarchy of Spain, to arrange the marriage between the son of King [[Alfonso VIII of Castile]] and a niece of King [[Valdemar II of Denmark]].{{sfn|O'Connor|1909}} At that time the south of France was the stronghold of the [[Catharism|Cathar]] movement. The Cathars (also known as Albigensians, due to their stronghold in [[Albi]], France) were considered a [[Christian heresy|heretical]] neo-[[gnostic]] sect. They believed that matter was evil and only the spirit was good; this was a fundamental challenge to the notion of the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|incarnation]], central to [[Catholic theology]]. The [[Albigensian Crusade]] (1209–1229) was a 20-year military campaign initiated by [[Pope Innocent III]] to eliminate [[Catharism]] in [[Languedoc]], in southern [[France]].

Dominic saw the need for a response that would attempt to sway members of the Albigensian movement back to mainstream Catholic thought.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.op.org/history/ |title="History", Ordo Praedicatorum |access-date=2023-03-10 |archive-date=2023-03-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310020052/https://www.op.org/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Better source|date=April 2025}} Dominic became inspired to achieve this by preaching and teaching, starting near [[Toulouse]], since the Albigensian Christians refused to compromise their principles despite the overwhelming force of the [[Albigensian Crusade|crusades]] brought against them. Diego suggested another reason that was possibly aiding the spread of the reform movement. The representatives of the Catholic Church acted and moved with an offensive amount of pomp and ceremony. In contrast, the [[Catharism|Cathars]] generally led [[Asceticism|ascetic lifestyles]]. To try persuasion in place of persecution, Diego suggested that the regional papal legates begin to live a reformed apostolic life. The legates agreed to the proposed changes if they could find a strong leader who could meet the Albigensians on their own ground.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}

[[File:Doctrina-cristiana.jpg|thumb|right|Saint Dominic on the front cover of {{lang|la|[[Doctrina Christiana]]}} catechism in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] with an eight-pointed star (a symbol of the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]]) over his head. Woodcut cover. Printed in Manila in 1593.]]

The prior took up the challenge, and he and Dominic dedicated themselves to the conversion of the Cathars.{{sfn|Hinnebusch|1975|p=23}} Despite this particular mission, Dominic met limited success converting Cathars by persuasion, "for though in his ten years of preaching a large number of converts were made, it has to be said that the results were not such as had been hoped for".{{sfn|Butler|1911|pp=401–402}} The differences in religious principles of the Albigensians called for far greater reforms than moderated appearances.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}

===Dominican convent established===
Dominic became the spiritual father to several Albigensian women he had reconciled to the faith, and in 1206 he established them in a convent in [[Prouille]], near [[Toulouse]].<ref name="op.org" /> This convent would become the foundation of the Dominican nuns, thus making the Dominican nuns older than the Dominican friars. Diego sanctioned the building of a monastery for girls whose parents had sent them to the care of the Albigensians because their families were too poor to fulfill their basic needs.{{sfn|Tugwell|1982|pp=54–55}} The monastery in [[Prouille]] would later become Dominic's headquarters for his missionary effort. After two years on the mission field, Diego died while travelling back to Spain.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}