Feuillants
Feuillants
(Latin: folium, leaf)
A reform of the Order of Citeaux, founded by Jean de La Barriere, 1573 , at Les Feuillans, a monastery so called from its location in a shady valley. Several of the monks refused to accept the reform and dispersed to various Cistercian houses, leaving only five at Les Feuillans. The community increased rapidly, however, by the admission of postulants. In 1581 Gregory XIII issued a Brief of commendation, and in 1589 one of confirmation, establishing the Feuillants as a separate congregation. Sixtus V summoned them to Rome, 1587 , and gave them the church of Saint Pudentiana, while Henry III of France erected the monastery of Saint Bernard for them in Paris. Clement VIII , 1595 , withdrew the reform from the jurisdiction of Cistercian abbots and permitted the Feuillants to compile new constitutions. They acquired a second monastery in Rome, 1598 . Pope Urban VIII, 1630 , separated the congregation into two branches: that of France , called Notre-Dame des Feuillants, and that of Italy , known as the Bernardoni or Reformed Bernardines. In 1634 these two branches modified the constitutions of 1595 . At the suppression of religious orders in France , 1791 , practically all the Feuillants were confessors, exiles, or martyrs . The Bernardines of Italy subsequently incorporated with the Order of Citeaux.
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Feuillants
The Cistercians who, about 1145, founded an abbey in a shady valley in the Diocese of Rieux (now Toulouse) named it Fuliens, later Les Feuillans or Notre-Dame des Feuillans (Lat. folium, leaf), and the religious were soon called Feuillants (Lat. Fulienses). Relaxations crept into the Order of Citeaux as into most religious congregations, and in the sixteenth century the Feuillant monastery was dishonoured by unworthy monks. A reform was soon to be introduced, however, by Jean de la Barrière, b. at Saint-Céré, in the Diocese of Cahors, 29 April, 1544; d. 25 April, 1600. Having completed a successful course in the humanities at Toulouse and Bordeaux, at the age of eighteen he was made commendatory Abbot of the Feuillants by the King of France, succeeding Charles de Crussol, who had just joined the Reformers. After his nomination he went to Paris to continue his studies, and then began his lifelong friendship with the celebrated Arnaud d’Ossat, later cardinal. In 1573 Barrière, having resolved to introduce a reform into his abbey, took the habit of novice, and after obtaining the necessary dispensations, made his solemn profession and was ordained priest, some time after 8 May, 1573. His enterprise was a difficult one. There were twelve monks at Les Feuillans who refused to accept the reform, and unmoved by the example and exhortations of their abbot, resolved to do away with him, by means of poison. Their attempts, however, were frustrated. In 1577, having received the abbatial benediction, he solemnly announced his intention of reforming his monastery, and made the members of the community understand that they had either to accept the reform or leave the abbey; they chose the latter and dispersed to various Cistercian houses. Their departure reduced the community to five persons, two professed clerics, two novices, and the superior. The rule was interpreted in its most rigid sense and in many ways even surpassed. Sartorius in his work “Cistercium bis-tertium” sums up the austerities of the reform in these four points: (1) The Feuillants renounced the use of wine, fish, eggs, butter, salt, and all seasoning. Their nourishment consisted of barley bread, herbs cooked in water, and oatmeal. (2) Tables were abolished; they ate on the floor kneeling. (3) They kept the Cistercian habit, but remained bare-headed and barefoot in the monastery. (4) They slept on the ground or on bare planks, with a stone for pillow. They slept but four hours. Silence and manual labour were held in honour. The community was increased rapidly by the admission of fervent postulants.
In 1581 Barrière received from Gregory XIII a Brief of commendation and in 1589 one of confirmation, establishing the Feuillants as a separate congregation. In spite of the opposition of the abbots and general chapters of Citeaux, the reform waxed strong. In 1587 Sixtus V called the Feuillants to Rome, where he gave them the church of S. Pudentiana, and the same year, Henry III, King of France, constructed for them the monastery of St. Bernard, in the Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris. In 1590, however, the Peasants’ War brought about dissensions. While Barrière remained loyal to Henry III, the majority of his religious declared for the League. As a result, in 1592 Barrière was condemned as a traitor to the Catholic cause, deposed, and reduced to lay communion. It was not until 1600 that, through the efforts of Cardinal Bellarmine, he was exonerated and reinstated. Early in the same year, however, he died in the arms of his friend Cardinal d’Ossat. In 1595 Clement VIII exempted the reform from all jurisdiction on the part of Cistercian abbots, and allowed the Feuillants to draw up new constitutions, containing some mitigations of the primitive rigour. These were approved the same year. In 1598 the Feuillants took possession of a second monastery in Rome, San Bernardo alle Terme. In 1630 Pope Urban VIII divided the congregation into two entirely distinct branches: that of France, under the title of Notre-Dame des Feuillants; and that of Italy, under the name of Bernardoni or Reformed Bernardines. In 1634 the Feuillants of France, and in 1667 the Bernardines of Italy modified somewhat the constitutions of 1595. In 1791 at the time of the suppression of the religious orders, the Feuillants possessed twenty-four abbeys in France; almost all the religious were confessors, exiles, or martyrs. The Bernardines of Italy eventually combined with the Order of Citeaux. The congregation of the Feuillatns has given a number of illustrious personages to the Church, among others: Cardinal Bona, the celebrated liturgist and ascetical writer (d. 1674); Gabriele de Castello (d. 1687), general of the Italian branch, who also received the cardinal’s hat; Dom Charles de Saint-Paul, first general of the Feuillants of France, afterwards Bishop of Avranche, who published in 1641 the “Geographia Sacra”; among theologians, Pierre Comagère (d. 1662), Laurent Apisius (d. 1681), and Jean Goulu (d. 1629). Special mention should be made of Carlo Giuseppe Morozzi (Morotius), author of the most important history of the order, the “Cistercii reflores centis … chronologica historia”. Many martyrologies give Jean de la Berrière (25 April) the title of Venerable. The Abbey des Feuillants was authorized by papal Brief to publicly venerate his remains, but the cause of beatification has never been introduced.
The FEUILLANTINES, founded in 1588 by Jean de la Barrière, embraced the same rule and adopted the same austerities as the Feuillants. Matrons of the highest distinction sought admission into this severe order, which soon grew in numbers, but during the Revolution, in 1791, the Feuillantines disappeared.
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HÉLYOT, Hist. des ordres (Paris, 1719); CARETTO, Santorale del S. Ordine Cisterciense (Turin, 1708); SARTORIUS, Cistercium bis-tertium (Prague, 1700); BAZY, Vie du Vénérable Jean de la Barrière (Toulouse, 1885); MOROTIUS, Cistercii reflorescentis … chronologica historia (Turin, 1690); CHALEMOT, Serie Sanctorum et Beatorum S. O. Cist. (Paris, 1670); Gallia Christiana, XIII; JANAUSCHEK, Orig. Cist. (Vienna, 1877); Voyage littéraire de deux religieux de la cong. de S. Maur in MARTÈNE AND DURAND (Paris, 1717); JONGELINUS, Notitia abbatiarum Ord. Cist. (Cologne, 1640).
EDMOND M. OBRECHT. Transcribed by WGKofron With thanks to Fr. John Hilkert, Akron, Ohio
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VICopyright © 1909 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, September 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, CensorImprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Feuillants
(Feuillants, Congregatio beatae Mariae Fuliensis), a reformed congregation of the Cistercians (q.v.). Their founder, Jean de la Barriere, of the family of the Vicomtes de Turennes, was born at St. Cere in 1544, and finished his education at the University of Paris. In 1562, when only 18 years of age, he received the Cistercian abbey of Notre Dame de Feuillans in commendam, and three years later took possession of it. After heaving received the income of the abbey for eleven months, he entered the order himself. His efforts to restore a stricter monastic discipline met with the unanimous opposition of the members of the abbey, and he was even in danger of being assassinated. He was charged at the chapter general held at Citeaux with introducing innovations, -but his defence made so deep an impression that many of the assembled monks placed themselves under his spiritual guidance, and enabled him to carry through a thorough reformation in his abbey. La Barriere and his friends now suffered a great deal of persecution from the old Cistercians; but their reformation. was, in 1586 and 1587, approved by the pope, though they remained subject, with regard to such points as were not at variance with their new discipline, to the abbot of Citeaux. Other abbys were authorized to adopt the reformation of Feuillans, and pope Sixtus V gave them the house of San Vito at Rome, to which, after a time, was added the house of St. Pudentiana, and somewhat later a beautiful monastery. In 1588 Henry III gave, them a monastery in Paris. During the civil-war La Barriere remained loyal to Henry III, whose funeral sermon he preached at Bordeaux, but many members of the order became ardent partisans of the Ligue. One of them, Bernard de Montgaillard, became celebrated under the name of “The Little Feuillant.” By these partisans of the Ligue, La Barriere was denounced as a traitor to the interests of the Catholic Church. At a chapter held in 1592, under the presidency of the Dominican monk Alexander De Francis, subsequently bishop, of Forli, he was deposed from his position, forbidden to say mass, and required to report himself once every month to the Inquisition. A revision of the trial by cardinal Baronius led, however, to the acquittal of La Barriere. Pope Clement VIII fully dissolved the connection of the new congregation with Citeaux, placed them under the immediate jurisdiction of the papal see, and commissioned six of the members with framing new statutes. These new statutes provided for the mitigation of some of the rules, the rigor of which, it was reported, had caused the death of fourteen members-and they received the sanction of the Church in 1595. The congregation now spread in France and Italy, and at its head in France was an abbot elected for three years. As disciplines again began to slacken, pope Urban VIII in 1630 divided the congregation into two-the French, called after Notre Dame de Feuillants, and the Italians, the members of which were called reformed Bernardines. At the head of each was henceforth a general. Subsequently considerable alterations were made in the statutes of each (of the French in 1634, of the Italian in 1667). Among the most celebrated members of the two congregations belong cardinal Bona and Cosmus Roger. Joseph Moratius wrote their history (Cistercii reflorescentis seu Congregationum Cistercio–Monasticarum B. M. Fuliensis in Gallia et reformatorum S. Bernardi in Italia chronologica historia, Turin, 1690).
The first convent of nuns according to the reformed rule of Feuillants was organized in 1588 at Montesquieu. It was subsequently transferred to Toulouse. The chapters general held in 1595′ and 1598 forbade the establishment of new convents, but in 1662 the wife of king Louis XIII succeeded in establishing one in Paris. According to a bull of Clement VIII of 1606, these nuns were subject to all the rules of the congregation of the Feuillants. It seems that the congregation has become entirely extinct in consequence of the French Revolution.–Helyot, Ordres Religieux, ed. Migne, s.v.; Henrion Fehr, Monchsorden, i, 159; Wetzer u. Welte, Kirchen-Lex. 4:61. (A. J. S.)