Consuetudines Cartusiae
The Consuetudines Cartusiae ( Customs of the Carthusians ) is a document written between 1121 and 1128 by Guigo I , the prior of the Grande Chartreuse . Without being in the form of a rule or constitution, they are the basic text of Carthusian life .
origin
Even if the ideal of the Carthusian life comes from Saint Bruno , it was not his intention to found an order. He himself only founded two monasteries: La Grande Chartreuse and Santo Stefano del Bosco , where he retired and died after his work with Pope Urban II ended . Under Guigo I , the fifth prior of the Grande Chartreuse , several communities asked to be allowed to adopt the rule and to follow the customs of the Grande Chartreuse.
At the request of the priore of the newly founded Carthusians ( La Chartreuse de Portes , Saint-Sulpice , Chartreuse de Meyriat ), Guigo wrote down the religious customs and the daily routine of the Grande Chartause: the Consuetudines Cartusiae .
These customs gave order and cohesion to the carouse life. They remained the spiritual foundation even though some things were updated.
content
The Consuetudines Cartusiae comprise 80 chapters of different lengths:
- Chapters 1–14: After a short prologue, the Carthusian rite is described here, which is characterized by its great simplicity.
- Chapters 15–16: The Office of Prior and Deputy. It is advised that those who have worldly duties should also watch out for the spiritual life.
- Chapters 17–21: Contact with the outside world and catering to the needy. Both hospitality and solitude must be preserved. Therefore strict exam .
- Chapters 22–27. Admission, Formation, and Calling of Novices.
- Chapters 28–35: Details of Cell Life: Clothing. Work, food, readings, schedule of Carthusian life.
- Chapters 36–41: Administration of the monastery: To make sure that the worldly possessions remain moderate and that the impression of the business remains away from the monastery.
- Chapters 42–76: The Lives of the Lay Brothers : From Prayer of the Hours to Daily Labor. The primacy of the spiritual life. They protect the spiritual life of the fathers, but should also look after their own.
- Chapters 77-79: The maximum number of residents is thirteen fathers and sixteen brothers, because of limited resources and because the monks should not beg.
- The last chapter is in praise of loneliness following the example of Paul of Thebes , Anthony the Great , Hilarion of Gaza and Benedict of Nursia .
Further development
In 1128 the Carthusians adopted the customary law prepared by Guigo I. The first general chapter of the Carthusian monks in 1140 approved the Consuetudines Cartusiae , giving them official status as a rule of the order. These customs are always referred to in Kataeus legislation, even if some of the rules have been replaced by new legislation.
In 1510 a complete edition of the statutes was printed for the first time.
The statutes were revised after the Second Vatican Council and the Codex Iuris Canonici of 1983. In 1987 the General Chapter approved the new text under the title Statuts de l'Ordre cartusien .
literature
- Guigues Ier: Coutumes de Chartreuse [archive] , (translation and notes from "un Chartreux" [Dom Maurice Laporte]), (coll. Sources Chrétiennes N ° 313), Cerf, Paris, 1984, 2e éd. 2001, 352 pages.