The Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominican Order, is a Roman Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilian priest named Dominic de Guzmán. It was approved by Pope Honorius III via the papal bull Religiosam vitam on 22 December 1216. Members of the order, who are referred to as Dominicans, generally display the letters OP after their names, standing for Ordinis Praedicatorum, meaning 'of the Order of Preachers'. Membership in the order includes friars, nuns, active sisters, and lay or secular Dominicans. More recently, there has been a growing number of associates of the religious sisters who are unrelated to the tertiaries.
Pope Benedict XI, born Nicola Boccasini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 October 1303 to his death, in 7 July 1304.
Pope Innocent V, born Pierre de Tarentaise, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 January to 22 June 1276. A member of the Order of Preachers, he acquired a reputation as an effective preacher. He held one of the two "Dominican Chairs" at the University of Paris, and was instrumental in helping with drawing up the "program of studies" for the Order. In 1269, Peter of Tarentaise was Provincial of the French Province of Dominicans. He was a close collaborator of Pope Gregory X, who named him Bishop of Ostia and raised him to cardinal in 1273.
Jean-Baptiste Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, OP, often styled Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, was a French ecclesiastic, preacher, journalist, theologian and political activist. He re-established the Dominican Order in post-Revolutionary France. Lacordaire was reputed to be the greatest pulpit orator of the nineteenth century.
Munio of Zamora, O.P., was a Spanish Dominican friar who became the seventh Master General of the Dominican Order in 1285, and later a bishop.
Raymond of Penyafort was a Catalan Dominican friar in the 13th century, who compiled the Decretals of Gregory IX, a collection of canonical laws that remained a major part of Church law until the 1917 Code of Canon Law abrogated it. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church and is the patron saint of canon lawyers.
Humbert of Romans was a French Dominican friar who served as the fifth Master General of the Order of Preachers from 1254 to 1263.
John of Vercelli was the sixth Master General of the Dominican Order (1264-1283).
Simon de Langres was a French Dominican friar from Burgundy and Master General of the Dominican Order from 1352 to 1366.
Nicolò Albertini, O.P., was an Italian Dominican friar, statesman, and cardinal.
The Dominican Rite is the unique liturgical rite of the Dominican Order in the Catholic Church. It has been classified differently by different sources – some consider it a usage of the Roman Rite, others a variant of the Gallican Rite, and still others a form of the Roman Rite into which Gallican elements were inserted.
Prior is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be lower in rank than the abbey's abbot or abbess.
Humbert II de la Tour-du-Pin was the Dauphin of the Viennois from 1333 to 16 July 1349. Humbert was the last dauphin before the title went to the French crown, to be bestowed on the heir apparent.
Geraldus Odonis, Guiral Ot in Occitan, was a French theologian and Minister General of the Franciscan Order.
Bérenger de Landore (1262–1330) was a French Dominican, who became Master of the Order of Preachers (1312–1317), and then Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela (1317-1330). He was from a noble family of southern France.
Hyacinthe-Marie Cormier was a French Dominican friar and priest, who served as the 76th Master of his Order from 1904 until 1916. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 20 November 1994.
John Matthew Rispoli was a major Maltese philosopher of great erudition. He was held in high esteem by the Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller Order, the Bishops of Malta, the Viceroys of Sicily, cardinals, bishops, inquisitors, and the common people. Perhaps the most eminent Maltese philosopher of the Middle Ages, the various extant writings of his are witness to his philosophical aptitude and dexterity as to his high calibre as a philosopher. These qualities were highly appreciated during his lifetime, in Malta as in France and Italy. He lived a busy life, both as an intellectual and as an administrator. He was professor of philosopher at various institutions of high education, an able preacher, and an official at various posts within the Dominican Order, of which his was a member. He was an avid aficionado of music, and was talented with playing musical instruments. Though the fame of holiness accompanied him in his life, this did not deter the Inquisition from suspecting him of heresy, and keeping him in its dungeons for fourteen months. When he died, he was given an almost state funeral.
Michele Mazzarino, or Mazzarini, also known as Michel Mazarin, was an Italian Cardinal and statesman in the service of France.
Juan Tomás de Boxadors (1703–1780) was the Master of the Order of Preachers from 1756 to 1777 and a cardinal from 1776 to 1780.
Albertus de Chiavari (1250–1300) was an Italian Dominican friar who served as the 10th Master of the Order of Preachers in the year 1300. He was appointed to role of Master by Pope Boniface VIII, after completing his studies in France. He contested the bull Super cathedram, issued in 1300, which limited the autonomy of the Dominicans. He also commented on the ancient masters of philosophy. He died after only three months in office.
