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Trinitarians
Catholic religious order / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Catholic religious order. For other uses, see Trinitarian (disambiguation).
"Order of the Holy Trinity" redirects here. For the Ethiopian house order, see Order of the Holy Trinity (Ethiopia).
The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives (Latin: Ordo Sanctissimae Trinitatis et Captivorum; abbreviated OSsT), is a mendicant order of the Catholic Church for men founded in Cerfroid, outside Paris, in the late 12th century. From the very outset, a special dedication to the mystery of the Holy Trinity has been a constitutive element of the order's life.
Quick Facts Abbreviation, Nickname ...
Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives | |
Latin: Ordo Sanctissimae Trinitatis et Captivorum | |
![]() Flag of the Trinitarians | |
![]() Mosaic of Jesus Christ used as the emblem of the Trinitarians | |
Abbreviation | OSsT |
---|---|
Nickname | Trinitarians |
Formation | 17 December 1198; 825 years ago (17 December 1198) |
Founders | John of Matha and Felix of Valois |
Type | Mendicant order |
Purpose | To ransom Christian captives |
Headquarters | Rome, Italy |
Membership (2018) | 610 (415 priests)[1] |
Minister General | Luigi Buccarello, OSsT |
Parent organization | Catholic Church |
Website | trinitari |
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Papal documents refer to the founder only as Brother John, but tradition identifies him as John de Matha, whose feast day is celebrated on 17 December. The founding-intention for the order was the ransom of Christians held captive by Muslims, a consequence of crusading and of piracy along the Mediterranean coast of Europe.[2]