From Institution to Inspiration: Why the Friars Minor Became Franciscans

Studies in Church History ◽

10.1017/stc.2021.4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 57 ◽

pp. 54-73

Author(s):

Neslihan Şenocak

Keyword(s):

Central Point ◽

Religious Institutions ◽

Religious Orders ◽

Great Caution ◽

Institutional Practice ◽

Initial Ideal

Medieval religious institutions, such as the papacy or the religious orders, tend to designate a saint as their founding inspiration. For the papacy, this has been St Peter; for the religious orders, saints such as St Benedict, St Dominic or St Francis. While it might appear logical to think of these inspiring founders as preceding the establishment of such institutions, in reality the latter are almost entirely responsible for the making, maintaining and circulating of the image of a founding saint. Hence it is necessary to approach historiographical narratives with great caution in which an institution is thought to be diverging from the founder's path, falling short of the founder's ideals or deliberately distorting the image of a founder to justify their evolution. If such a discrepancy between the initial ideal and later practice is observed, the central point of investigation should focus on why the hagiographical and liturgical records regarding the founding saint included elements in conflict with the institutional practice. This article will investigate the medieval evidence and the historiographical narratives pertaining to the Order of Friars Minor.

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Who Owned Florence?: Religious Institutions and Property Ownership in the Early Modern City

Journal of Early Modern History ◽

10.1163/15700658-bja10021 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-46

Author(s):

Justine Walden ◽

Nicholas Terpstra

Keyword(s):

Early Modern ◽

Religious Institutions ◽

Religious Orders ◽

Religious Order ◽

Property Ownership ◽

Modern City ◽

Property Income ◽

Residential Properties ◽

City Walls ◽

The City

Abstract This study employs a 1561 tax census to survey estimated property incomes in Florence with particular attention to lay and ecclesiastical religious institutions. Its key findings are five. First, religious institutions were collectively the wealthiest corporate entities in the city, holding one fifth of all residential properties and one third of all workshops, and drawing 20.2 percent of all property income generated within city walls. Second, many were civic- and lay-religious institutions such as confraternities and hospitals. Third, the property income of religious houses was distributed across multiple organizations while that held by the Florentine diocese was concentrated in a few. Fourth, among religious orders, Mendicant houses had a larger urban presence than the older contemplative houses. Fifth, the property holdings of the formally defunct military-religious order of the Knights of S. Jacopo signal the deftness with which some institutions adapted to new circumstances. Overall, this survey of property incomes helps quantify the shape of power in the Florentine religious universe.

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The Vestal Virgins

A Place at the Altar ◽

10.23943/princeton/9780691169576.003.0005 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Meghan J. DiLuzio

Keyword(s):

Legal Status ◽

The State ◽

Religious Institutions ◽

Religious Orders ◽

Roman Society ◽

The Social ◽

Vestal Virgins ◽

The City

This chapter focuses on the Vestal Virgins. The six Vestal Virgins belonged to the pontifical college (collegium pontificum), the largest and one of Rome's most prestigious religious orders. Chosen for their role between the ages of six and ten, they were committed to serve the cult of Vesta for a minimum of thirty years. They were synonymous with the continued welfare of the city and inseparable from the Roman's view of themselves. In addition to guaranteeing Rome's future, the Vestal priesthood was cherished as one of the most ancient religious institutions in the city. The chapter then considers the social profile of prospective priestesses and explains how they were chosen for their extraordinary role in Roman society. It also outlines their legal status, which set them apart from ordinary Romans, and the privileges they were granted in exchange for their service to the state.

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