Order of Saint Augustine

The Order of Saint Augustine is a Catholic mendicant religious order whose members live according to the Rule of Saint Augustine and are commonly called Augustinians.

Rule of Saint Augustine: A brief monastic rule attributed to Augustine of Hippo that guides communal religious life. The order's members organize their common life around this rule.
Grand Union of 1256: The 1256 consolidation of several Italian hermit groups into the Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine. This union established the order as a unified institution.
Thomas of Villanova: A Spanish Augustinian friar, archbishop, and Catholic saint known for pastoral care and charity. His episcopal ministry illustrates the order's work beyond its friaries.
Order of Saint Benedict: A Catholic monastic order whose communities follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Benedictines center on a distinct monastic rule rather than the Augustinian mendicant tradition.
Mendicant orders: Religious orders whose members traditionally rely on charitable support and serve through preaching or ministry. The Augustinians belong to the Catholic mendicant tradition.
Innocent IV: Pope from 1243 to 1254 who promoted the consolidation of Italian hermit communities. His initiatives helped prepare the institutional union completed after his pontificate.
Martin Luther: A German theologian and former Augustinian friar whose writings helped initiate the Protestant Reformation. His early life shows one path of study and religious formation within the order.
Order of Friars Minor: A Catholic mendicant order founded by Francis of Assisi and commonly called the Franciscans. Franciscan poverty and spirituality offer a contrasting mendicant tradition.
Augustine of Hippo: A fourth- and fifth-century Christian bishop and theologian whose writings shaped Western Christianity. His writings supply the rule and spiritual tradition named by the order.
Alexander IV: Pope from 1254 to 1261 who supported the 1256 union of Augustinian hermit groups. His papal authority formalized the Grand Union.

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