DOMINIC
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DOMINIC
fully granted. But while the council was anxious that
these reforms should be put into effect as speedily as
possible, it was at the same time opposed to the insti-
tution of any new religious orders, and had legislated
to that effect in no uncertain terms. Moreover,
preaching had always been looked upon as primarily a
function of the episcopate. To bestow this office on
an unicnown and untried body of simple priests seemed
too original and too bold in its conception to appeal to
the conservative prelates who influenced the delibera-
tions of the council. When, therefore, his petition for
the approbation of his infant institute was refused, it
could not have been wholly unexpected by Saint
Dominic.
Returning to Languedoc at the close of the council in December, 121.5, the founder gathered about him his little band of followers antl informed them of the wish of the council that there should be no new rules for religious orders. Thereupon they adopted the ancient rule of Saint Augustine, which, on account of its generality, would easily lend itself to any form they might wish to give it. This done. Saint Dominic again appeared before the pope in the month of August, 1216, and again solicited the confirmation of his order. This time he was received more favouraljly, and on 22 December, 1216, the Bull of confirmation was issued.
Saint Dominic spent the following Lent preaching in various churches in Rome, and before the pope and tlie papal court. It was at this time that he received the office and title of Master of the Sacred Palace, or Pope's Theologian, as it is more commonly called. This office has been held uninterruptedly by members of the order from the founder's time to the present day. On 15 August, 1217, he gathered the brethren about him at Prouille to deliberate on the affairs of the order. He had determined upon the heroic plan of dispersing his little band of seventeen unformed fol- lowers over all Europe. The result proved the wisdom of an act which, to the eye of human prudence at least, seemed little short of suicidal. To facilitate the spread of the order, Honorius III, on 11 Feb., 1218, addressed a Bull to all archbishops, bishops, abbots, and priors, requesting their favour on behalf of the Order of Preachers. By another Bull, dated 3 Dec, 1218, Honorius III bestowed upon the order the church of Saint Sixtus in Rome, Here, amid the tombs of the Appian Way, was founded the first monastery of the order in Rome. Shortly after taking possession of Saint Sixtus, at the invitation of Honorius, Saint Dominic began the somewhat difficult task of restor- ing the pristine observance of religious discipline among the various Roman communities of women. In a comparatively short time the work was accom- plished, to the great satisfaction of the pope. His own career at the University of Palencia, and the practical use to which he had put it in his encounters with the Albigenses, as well as his keen appreciation of the needs of the time, convinced the saint that to en- sure the highest efficiency in the work of the aposto- late, his followers should be afforded the best educa- tional advantages obtainable. It was for this reason that on the occasion of the dispersion of the brethren at Prouille he dispatched Matthew of France and two companions to Paris. A foundation was made in the vicinity of the university, and the friars took posses- sion in October, 1217. Matthew of France was ap- pointed superior and Michael de Fabra was placed in charge of the studies with the title of Lecturer. On 6 August of the following year, Jean de Barastre, dean of Saint-Quentin and professor of theology, bestowed on the community the hospice of Saint-Jacques, which he had built for his own use. Having effected a foundation at the LTniversity of Paris, Saint Dominie next determined upon a settlement at the University of Bologna. Bertrand of Garrigua, who had been summoned from Paris, and John of Navarre, set out from Rome, with letters from Pope Honorius, to make
the desired foundation. On their arrival at Bologna,
the church of Santa Maria della Mascarella was placed
at their disposal. So rapidly did the Roman commu-
nity of Saint Sixtus grow that the need of more com-
modious quarters soon became urgent. Honorius,
who seemed to delight in supplying every need of the
order and furthering its interests to the utmost of his
power, met the emergency by bestowing on Saint
Dominic the basilica of Santa Sabina.
Towards the end of 1218, having appointed Regi- nald of Orleans his vicar in Italy, the saint, accom- panied by several of his brethren, set out for Spain Bologna, Prouille, Toulouse, and Fanjeaux were vis- ited on the way. From Prouille two of the brethren were sent to establish a convent at Lyons. Segovia was reached just before Christmas. In February of the following year he founded the first monastery of the order in Spain. Turning southward, he established a convent for women at Madrid, similar to the one at Prouille. It is quite probalile that on this journey he personally presided over the erection of a convent in connexion with his alma mater, the University of Palencia. At the invitation of the Bishop of Barce- lona, a house of the order was established in that city. Again bending his steps towards Rome he reerossed the Pyrenees and visited the foundations at Toulouse and Paris. During his stay in the latter place he caused houses to be erected at Limoges, Metz. Reims, Poitiers, and Orleans, which in a short time became centres of Dominican activity. From Paris he di- rected his course towards Italy, arriving in Bologna in July, 1219. Here he devoted several months to the religious formation of the brethren he found awaiting him, and then, as at Prouille, dispersed them over Italy. Among the foundations made at this time were those at Bergamo, Asti, Verona, Florence, Bres- cia, and Faenza. From Bologna he went to Viterbo. His arrival at the papal court was the signal for the showering of new favours on the order. Notable among these marks of esteem were many compliment- ary letters addressed by Honorius to all those who had assisted the Fathers in their various foundations. In March of this same year Honorius, through his repre- sentatives, bestowed upon the order the church of San Eustorgio in Milan. At the same time a foundation at Viterbo was authorized. On his return to Rome, towards the end of 1219, Dominic sent out letters to all the convents announcing the first general chapter of the order, to be held at Bologna on the feast of the following Pentecost. Shortly before, Honorius III, by a special Brief, had conferred upon the founder the title of Master General, which till then he had held only by tacit consent. At the very first session of the chapter in the following spring the saint startled his brethren by offering his resignation as master general. It is needless to say the resignation was not accepted and the founder remained at the head of the institute till the end of his life.
Soon after the close of the chapter of Bologna, Hon- orius III addressed letters to the abbeys and priories of San Vittorio, Sillia, Mansu, Floria, Vallombrosa, and Aquila, ordering that several of their religious be de- puted to begin, under the leadership of Saint Dominic, a preaching crusade in Lombardy, where lieresy had developed alarming proportions. For some reason or other the plans of the pope were never realized. The promised support failing, Dominic, with a little band of his own brethren, threw himself into the field, and, as the event proved, spent himself in an effort to bring back the heretics to their allegiance to the Church. It is said that 100,000 unbelievers were con- verted by the preaching and the miracles of the saint. According to Lacordaire and others, it was during his preaching in Lombardy that the saint instituted the Militia of Jesus Christ, or the third order, as it is com- monly called, consisting of men and women living in the world, to protect the rights and property of the
