Franciscan Order

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The founder of the order, Francis of Assisi (panel by Guido di Graciano , after 1270, Siena, Pinacoteca Nazionale)

Franciscan orders are various predominantly Roman Catholic religious orders that are based on the rule of the order written by Francis of Assisi (1181/1182 to 1226) for the mendicant order he founded .

The most important Franciscan theologians and philosophers of the 13th and 14th centuries included Antony of Padua , Alexander of Hales , Bonaventure of Bagnoregio , Roger Bacon , Johannes Duns Scotus and Wilhelm von Ockham . The Franciscan publicist Thomas Murner was Martin Luther's most eloquent opponent during the Reformation .

Religious orders

The communities that refer to St. Francis are divided into three groups.

  1. The first order, which goes back to the order of the Friars Minor founded by Francis, includes the conventuals (OFMConv), the Franciscans (OFM) and the Capuchins (OFMCap) , known today as the Minorites . Until the division of the order in 1517, the term Minorites ( Ordo fratrum minorum , "Friars Minor") can also be found for the entire order .
  2. The second order consists of the nuns of the various branches of the Poor Clares , the Colett Sisters and the Capuchin Sisters , whose rule goes back to St. Clare of Assisi .
  3. The third order (Terziaren) founded in 1221 originally consisted of people who wanted to implement the Franciscan ideals outside the enclosure of a monastery. In Germany, the Franciscan Third Order is organized under the name Franciscan Community (FG); since 2012 it has been called Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis ("Franciscan Order in the World"). Within the Third Order were formed especially in the 19th century a number of new religious communities , all communities that are grouped together in so-called regulated Third Order, including virtually Franciscan and other male and female associations like the Amigonian Friars , Elisabeth interior , Franciscan Brothers of the Holy Cross , Francis brothers or Sisters of love .

There are also Franciscan communities in other denominations, such as Anglican Franciscans and Evangelical Tertiars .

Today, all of these communities consider themselves branches of the Franciscan family; In the German-speaking countries they are organized in the INFAG (Interfranziskanische Arbeitsgemeinschaft) and have appeared since 2005 under the logo clara.francesco (ecumenical fraternal network initiative of Franciscan orders) at church days, at the World Youth Day or at the European Ecumenical Assembly.

Common origin

Founding of the order

Francis of Assisi did not initially plan to found an order; he just wanted to live in full following of Christ according to the commandment of the gospel :

“If you want to be perfect among you, leave everything, and give what you have to the poor, then come and follow me. ( Mt 19.21  EU ) "

As a charismatic personality, however, he found enthusiastic companions, especially among his numerous friends. The Order of Friars Minor, finally founded by Francis, was founded by Pope Innocent III around 1210 . approved. The community lived on the site of the small church Portiuncula below Assisi . In 1212 Clare of Assisi, who wrote the rules of the Second Order in 1216/1217, vowed a life according to the Evangelical Councils .

Francis of Assisi before the Sultan ( fresco attributed to Giotto di Bondone , from 1296, Assisi, Basilica of San Francesco)

The order of the Friars Minor developed into one of the four great mendicant orders of the Middle Ages. Over time, however, it turned out that too much freedom led to secularization and dissolution. That is why the brothers were gradually organized more firmly and the rules of the order more closely aligned with the “classical” Benedictine rules. During the lifetime of Francis of Assisi, the order made the step from wandering to settling down; Francis himself assumes in his will at the end of his life that the brothers have “churches and poor homes”. The first Franciscan monastery was founded in Tuscany in 1212 : the Convento di San Francesco near Cetona , currently in use as the Frateria di Padre Eligio . Already between 1215 and 1217 the order gained a foothold outside of Italy; early chronicles report the - initially unsuccessful - expansion to Germany and England. From 1217 the order was divided into provinces and custodians . The upper ones are called ministri (from Latin minister "servant") and custodes (Latin custos "guardian"), since Francis had expressly rejected the term prior (from Latin prior "front, preferred"), which is common in other orders Service character of the upper office. The Franciscan orders have less of a centralist and more of a federal structure; Within the universal community of the general order, the province is the natural living space for the individual brother, in whose traditions, problems and efforts he is embedded and in which he remains, even if he can be transferred to other convents within the province. A transfer to another province is rather rare.

All brothers met annually for so-called religious chapters to discuss with one another and to make decisions. With the rapid increase in the number of brothers and the spatial expansion, however, it soon became customary to limit the chapter participants to “capitulars”, and a certain hierarchy began. The superior had to give formal permission for longer journeys; from around 1225, letters of transfer from one custody to another and letters of appointment for higher offices are known. From about 1230 onwards, the practice of filling senior offices with priests prevailed in England.

The General Chapter 1219 decided to visit pagan countries and the Gentiles to evangelize . Francis himself moved into the Custody of the Holy Land , which at that time spanned the entire south-eastern Mediterranean. He preached and tried, among other things, to convert the Sultan. These mission attempts in Damiette and later in Jerusalem were unsuccessful. After his return in 1220, following news of disputes, he appointed Pietro Catanii as head of the order. Brother Pietro died in 1221 and Elias von Cortona took over the leadership of the order.

On the instructions of the Roman Curia, Francis wrote a third version of the rule of the order in the hermitage of Fonte Colombo in 1223 . It was discussed in June at the General Chapter and on November 29th by Pope Honorius III. confirmed with the bull Solet annuere (therefore "bulled rule"). The founder of the order died in 1226.

Francis had refused the appointment of brothers to higher ecclesiastical offices; According to the unconfirmed rule 1221, no brother may hold a leading position in the house in which he serves. Cardinal Hugolin von Ostia's invitation to propose bishops from among his brothers was rejected on the grounds: “My brothers are called minor so that they do not pretend to be superior. Therefore, under no circumstances let them rise to ecclesiastical offices, so that they do not become all the more proud the poorer they are and show themselves arrogant towards the rest. ”In the course of the clericalization of the order, however, appointments were made as early as the middle of the 13th century Friars Minor customary to become bishops, some were elevated to cardinals such as the order general Bonaventura in 1273. The first Pope from the Franciscan Order was Girolamo Masci d'Ascoli as Nicholas IV (Pope) (1288-1292).

The Franciscans founded the first settlement in Germany in Augsburg in 1221, after a trip in 1217 was unsuccessful because the brothers were taken for heretics ( Cathars ) and expelled. The brothers were sent to the great Matten chapter on Whitsun 1221 at the Portiuncula Chapel in Assisi, and on October 16, 1221 a first chapter of the brothers who came to Germany took place in Augsburg . In the same year branches were founded in Würzburg and Regensburg from there, on November 30th the Franciscans set out for Cologne, where they settled in 1222. In 1225 Bremen and Lübeck were reached, in 1230 Riga. Within a few years, the order spread across the empire to the Baltic Sea. When they arrived in Germany, it was already common to live in their own houses, which, however, remained the property of the previous owners. In some places the brothers found shelter in hospitals or in abandoned monasteries of other orders. Often they were given a church, sometimes before they had a home on the site.

The Franciscans preferred episcopal cities and subordinated themselves to the local clergy as well as to the secular authorities, while maintaining their independence. The expanding cities at the time were open to the immigration of poor but able-bodied people; Monetary and market economy as well as civil strivings for autonomy led to social tensions. In this situation the way of life of the new, papally recognized itinerant preachers without a “claustrum”, that is, without a firmly delimited monastery district, apparently offered convincing social and religious solutions. The refusal of the Franciscans to seek possessions, power over others and social advancement are reasons for their widespread use and popularity, as well as their devotion to the poor and marginalized; In Speyer, according to the chronicler Jordan von Giano , they lived “outside the walls with the lepers”. The Friars Minor represented an “alternative to the prevailing economy and society, indeed to the then prevailing mentality, culture and religiosity, based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ” and were therefore successful. An advantage for their expansion up to the first half of the 14th century was that the Franciscans were supported in many places in Central Europe by the princes and city leaders and encouraged to found monasteries.

Franciscan clothing “should be cheap and simple. It consisted of a loosely falling, coarse brown woolen robe with a hood, a second, hoodless robe as well as trousers and belt cord ”. They earned their livelihood by practicing a skilled trade in exchange for accommodation and food; If that was not enough, the brothers should beg, which was not criminalized at the time, but was a common way of earning a living. The cohesion of the members of the order was ensured by the structure of obedience to the superiors of the order and by regular meetings of all in the chapters.

At an early stage, the clergy brothers began to set up their own study system for in-depth training and further education. In 1228 a course of study was established in Magdeburg, which became the center of a hierarchically ordered educational system in Saxony and was important for the order as well as for knowledge and education of the late Middle Ages. From 1395 onwards the religious studies in Erfurt , which were incorporated into the University of Erfurt that year , were the “studium generale” of the Saxon province. In the 15th century, the leading positions in the province and convent were occupied by academically educated Franciscans who had experience both as lecturers and as religious superior.

spirituality

Franciscan piety is determined by the characteristics that were already formative for the founders of the order, Francis and Clare, and which can be summarized in the characteristics of the crib , cross and Eucharist . The piety of Jesus' life of Jesus looked at the poor earthly life of Jesus from its beginning in the manger to the end on the cross and in its importance for the redemption of people, its elements were imitatio (imitation) and compassio (compassion), which is his found mystical expression in the stigmatization that Francis experienced. Clare's contemplative life was also shaped by the mysticism of the Passion .

The written by Francis and by Pope Honorius III. The final rule of the order approved on November 29, 1223, the Regula bullata , programmatically puts this Christ-form at the beginning:

"The way of life of the Minor Brothers begins: the
rule and life of the Minor Brothers is this, namely to observe our Lord Jesus Christ's holy gospel through a life in obedience, without property and in chastity."

- Regula bullata , chap. 1

For Francis and Clare, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ continued in the celebration of Holy Mass and the veneration of the Eucharist, which were of great importance in their piety. Francis himself was not a priest , and in the Franciscan Order the aspect of fraternal communion has greater weight today than the priestly vocation of the individual brothers. The piety of the nativity scene and the veneration of the cross, for example on the Way of the Cross , were promoted and spread worldwide by the Franciscans and Poor Clares.

An attitude of peace is of great importance. Francis invokes divine instruction: “The Lord has revealed to me that we should say as a greeting: 'The Lord give you peace!'” (Testament, 23). “True peace” is the peace that God gives, but it cannot be separated from peace with human beings, and it essentially arises from the encounter with the poor; Francis himself cared for lepers at the beginning of his calling . In connection with the poverty ideal, the Franciscan understanding of peace means renouncing arms and violence as well as an attitude of humility and patience towards all people.

The self- claim to lead a conscious life with creation is also closely related to turning away from earthly wealth. By emphasizing this aspect, the Franciscan orders have gained a stronger reputation since the beginning of the ecological movement in the 1980s. Pope Francis chose Laudato si ' for his encyclical in 2015 . About the concern for the common house on the topic of environmental and climate protection as a title and incipit the beginning of the sun song of St. Francis.

Fundamental to Franciscan spirituality is a fraternal life in an evangelical way of life with an apostolic accent turned towards the poor. The tasks that the brothers take on grow from this way of life and must be compatible with it. Therefore, according to the will of Francis, positions of power should remain excluded. In the Regula bullata of 1223 ministri (from Latin minister "servant") and custodes (Latin custos "guardian") are named as superior (chapters 4 and 8). Francis himself expressly rejected the designation prior (from Latin prior "front, preferred") , which is common in other orders , in favor of the service character of the superior office.

mission

From the beginning the Franciscans went out to take Christianity to non-Christian countries. Francis himself traveled to Palestine as a missionary and preached in Egypt to the Sultan Al-Kamil . Francis understood his commission as a peace ministry and not primarily as a "conversion of the Gentiles". Franciscans are still present in North Africa and Palestine to this day. It corresponds to the peaceful understanding of mission that they lead an exemplary Christian life among people of different faiths. In the 13th and 14th centuries Franciscans were active in Mongolia , according to Johannes de Plano Carpini on behalf of Pope Innocent IV , and they also came to China - as the first John of Montecorvino . Franciscans came to America with Christopher Columbus . The names of cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles , originating in the 18th century, show the influence of the Franciscans. They did not fundamentally question the system of the Conquista , and there were Franciscans among the supporters as well as among the opponents of colonization .

German Franciscans have been active in Brazil since the 19th century. Until the Second World War, China was also a focus for the engagement of several German religious provinces. From the 1980s onwards, they also started working in Africa. In the meantime, indigenous, independent Franciscan provinces have sprung up everywhere, in which indigenous and European brothers work together in "fraternal assistance".

Inquisition and persecution of the Jews

In addition to the Dominicans , from the first half of the 13th century, among others, the Franciscans also took part in the investigation and condemnation of heretics as part of the Inquisition , especially in Italy, France and the Holy Roman Empire . Since the Dominicans and Franciscans had emerged from Christian lay movements and, like the contemporary heretical movements, were oriented towards personal poverty, they were, according to the opinion of the time, particularly well suited to highlighting differences in content between orthodox and heretical standpoints.

Francis is not aware of any statements about the Jews or encounters with Jews. Like the Dominicans, the Franciscans held disputations with Jewish scholars and were disappointed when they continued to reject Christianity. Anti-Jewish sermons by Franciscans were criticized several times by popes in the 14th and 15th centuries. Johannes Capistranus in particular appeared as a fanatical promoter of the persecution of the Jews . Overall, however, the relationship between the Franciscans and the Jews has not yet been scientifically worked out.

Poverty struggle

It cannot be overlooked that the “critical alternative” of the beginning of the Friars Minor in Germany changed through bourgeoisisation and clericalization . "Temporary settlements [became] permanent Franciscan monasteries designed for inner-city pastoral care and church services, based on monastic abbeys and canons ." For successful preaching and pastoral work, large churches were needed, which were also built in many places, supported by the patrons of the Order. The type of mendicant order church developed , which, according to the statutes of the order, did not have to be structurally complex - with a small roof turret instead of a tower-reinforced westwork , with an open hall instead of hierarchically structured naves - but was nevertheless expensive in some places. As early as 1231, Landgravine Elisabeth of Thuringia, who was very close to the Franciscans, criticized this in Eisenach .

Convent and Basilica of San Francesco (Assisi)

The counting of the Franciscan General Ministers did not begin until the death of Francis. Johannes Parenti , who adhered to the ideal of poverty , was elected first general minister and held the office from 1227–1232. His opponent was Elias von Cortona, who had already led the order in the years before Francis' death. He and Pope Gregory IX. promoted the idea of ​​building a basilica with a monastery over the grave of the founder of the order in Assisi, the city of his birth. On July 16, 1228, just two years after his death, Francis was canonized, and on July 17, the Pope laid the foundation stone for the Basilica of San Francesco . Many brothers were bothered by the grandeur of the church and the size of the Sacro Convento , which contradicted the order's ideals of poverty. Nevertheless, Elias of Cortona replaced Johannes Parenti as general minister in 1232 and held this position until 1239. In order to curb the violent so-called poverty dispute, Gregory IX decreed that the elected administration of the order was allowed to own funds and that the building of monasteries did not contradict the intentions of the order's founder. But only Bonaventura von Bagnoregio , Minister General 1257–1274, succeeded in effectively mediating in the poverty dispute and in bringing the order on a moderate course.

Nevertheless, the dispute smoldered on and led to conflicts with the Popes, especially under Michael von Cesena , Minister General 1316-1328. The Friars Minor gave up their severe poverty and pastoral care more and more in favor of property and learning, in favor of life in large urban convents and work at important universities. The increasing donation of anniversaries by wealthy citizens also played a role , where prayers and masses had to be celebrated by the donors in return for the transfer of money or land . With the approval of the church leadership, the practice had developed that Franciscan convents and even individual brothers were allowed to own property from such foundations and were dispensed from the vow of poverty for this purpose .

Observance movement and division of orders

Depiction of a Capuchin (Schwäbisch Haller Chronik, around 1590)

A movement within the order opposed this tendency to dilute the poverty ideal, advocating a return to stricter observance of the original order rule ( regularis observantia , "observance"). There were similar efforts in other orders at the time. For the Franciscans the radical adherence to the ideal was important, which was most easily realized by an insecure life, a turning away from the cities and settlement in hermitages. The first groups arose around the middle of the 14th century in Italy, where Paul von Trinci from Foligno called his companions in 1368 "Brothers of the Observance family", but soon also in Spain and France. These groups, which in the 15th century included, for example, Bernardine of Siena , John of Capestrano , Albert of Sarteano (1385–1450) and James of the Mark (1394–1476), enjoyed great popularity and soon formed the majority in the Order of the Friars Minor.

In its Constitution Supplicationibus in 1414, the Council of Constance allowed the Brothers of Strict Observance (stricta observantia regularis) to settle in all provinces of the order, to accept religious men willing to reform and to elect their own general and provincial vicars, creating a second, independent administrative level in the provinces originated. In 1430 Pope Martin V tried to open a middle way through the Martinian Constitutions , which the “Martinian” convents could adopt as a way of life, but this did not stop the separation of the order. External influences such as the Hundred Years War , the plague raging in the cities and the Western Schism also contributed to the weakening of the original tribal order, the so-called Conventuals .

The observant currents were unevenly pronounced in different regions. The following can be regarded as common labeling:

  • Approach to the ideal established by Francis through strict observance of the rule of the order, renunciation of dispensations from observance of the rule and privileges,
  • Turning away from a bourgeoisisation of the order through severe common poverty and simple church and monastery buildings,
  • Strengthening the Franciscan-fraternal way of life through small communities ,
  • Compensation of a monastic - ritualistic piety through contemplative prayer,
  • Renewal of the missionary power of the Order through pastorally oriented study.

In 1517 Pope Leo X responded by recognizing the division of the Order into Conventuals and Observants. A general chapter of the order at Pentecost in 1517, which by order of the Pope was supposed to end the separation movements in the order, was unsuccessful. In his Bull Ite et vos on May 29, 1517, Pope Leo X decreed the separation of the order into two separate branches: the Conventuals with 20,000 to 25,000 brothers on the one hand and the Observants with 30,000 to 32,000 brothers on the other. The Observants, who represent a union of several different reform groups such as the Klarener, Amadener and Martinianer , are considered in the bull as the rightful heirs of the original order, they received the order seal and the right to use the name "Friars Minor". A little later, the Observants also split, so that the Franciscan Male Order (First Order) is now divided into three subgroups:

  • The conventuals or Minorites (Ordo fratrum minorum conventualium) are allowed to share property; they can be recognized by their black habit .
  • The observants or Franciscans (OFM) (Ordo fratrum minorum (regularis observantiae)) strive to follow the Rule of Francis as closely as possible and wear a brown habit. Since the 1530s, they have been differentiated into the Alcantariner (also Discalceates ), the Reformats and the Recollects . The three branches were subordinate to a common Minister General , but each had partial independence with their own statutes and their own superiors, until Pope Leo XIII. reunited them in the Unio Leonina by the Apostolic Constitution Felicitate Quadam of October 4, 1897. With around 18,000 brothers worldwide, they now form the largest group.
  • Also dressed in brown are the capuchins , split off from the observants in 1528 , initially Fratres minores de vita eremitica , from around 1534 increasingly called scapuccini . The hood of the habit differs in shape from that of the Franciscans and Minorites and is attached directly to the habit.

Approximation

From June 12 to 14, 2017, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the division of the order and the commemoration of the Reformation, a joint mat chapter with 70 brothers of the three men's orders in Germany took place in Hofheim am Taunus , at which the provincials of the German Franciscan Province , the German Capuchin Province and of the German Minorite Province participated. A future reunification of the Friars Minor was thought to be possible and concrete steps were agreed for further rapprochement. The three German provinces together have 552 members in 79 branches (Franciscans 321, Minorites 112 and Capuchins 117).

Early First Order churches and monasteries

Italy

  • According to tradition, in 1205, while kneeling in front of the cross of San Damiano in the abandoned chapel of San Damiano near Assisi, Francis heard the words “Francis, go and rebuild my house, which, as you can see, is falling into disrepair “, After which he began to rebuild.
  • The little church Portiuncula received Francis in 1208 from Benedictines . Today this church stands in the center of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli near Assisi, which was built between 1569 and 1679 .
  • Around 1215 Francis received the small monastery building Eremo delle Carceri near Assisi , probably also from Benedictines . Around 1400, Bernardine of Siena had the church of Santa Maria delle Carceri built here.
  • From 1227 the basilica of Santa Chiara (Assisi) was built. The icon of the cross from San Damiano is in the Chapel of the Cross.
  • The already mentioned Basilica of San Francesco with the tomb of the saint and the associated Sacro Convento (Assisi) began in 1228.
  • The Franciscan Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli ( Rome ) was built from 1250.
  • The foundation stone of the Franciscan Basilica of Santa Croce ( Florence ) was laid in 1294 or 1295.
  • 1318–1377, the church of San Francesco was built within the city walls of Arezzo . The cross above the high altar, designed by the so-called Franziskusmeister , comes from a previous building outside the city walls.

German-speaking area

Other countries

See also

literature

  • Horst von der Bey, Johannes-Baptist Freyer : The Franciscan Movement.
    • Vol. 1: History and Spirituality. Matthias-Grünewald, Mainz 1996.
    • Vol. 2: Worldwide engagement today. Matthias-Grünewald, Mainz 1996.
  • Ferdinand Doelle : The observance movement in the Saxon Franciscan province up to the beginning of the religious split: with consideration of the Martinian reform in Electoral Saxony. Munster 1918.
  • Kaspar Elm : The Franciscan Observance as Educational Reform. In: Hartmut Boockmann, Bernd Moeller , Karl Stackmann (eds.): Life lessons and world designs in the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern age. Politics - Education - Natural History - Theology. Report on colloquia of the commission to research the culture of the late Middle Ages 1983 to 1987 (= treatises of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen: philological-historical class. Volume III, No. 179). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1989, ISBN 3-525-82463-7 , pp. 201-214.
  • Thomas Ertl: Religion and Discipline. Self-interpretation and world order in early German Franciscanism (= work on church history . Vol. 96). De Gruyter, Berlin a. a. 2006, ISBN 3-11-018544-X (also: Berlin, Freie Universität, habilitation paper, 2005/2006).
  • Helmut Feld: The Franciscans (= UTB 3011 profiles ). Ulmer, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8252-3011-1 .
  • Johannes-Baptist Freyer (Ed.): Mysticism in the Franciscan Order. Butzon and Bercker, Kevelaer 1993, ISBN 3-7666-9801-X .
  • Anton Grabner-Haider : The great founders of the order. Marix, Wiesbaden 2007, ISBN 978-3-86539-921-2 .
  • Heribert Holzapfel : Handbook of the history of the Franciscan order. Herdersche Verlagshandlung, Freiburg / Breisgau 1909.
  • Lázaro Iriarte: The Order of St. Francis. Handbook of Franciscan Order History . Translated from Spanish by Ferdinand Litschka and Hans Norbert Huber. Verlag der Bayerischen Kapuziner, Altötting 1984.
  • Niklaus Kuster, Thomas Dienberg , Marianne Jungbluth (eds.): Inspired freedom. 800 years of Francis and his movement. Herder, Freiburg (Breisgau) a. a. 2009, ISBN 978-3-451-31053-9 .
  • Justin Lang, Helmuth Nils Loose , Toni Schneiders : The great founders of the order. Benedict - Dominic - Francis - Ignatius. Hohe, Erftstadt 2007, ISBN 978-3-86756-042-9 .
  • Herbert Schneider : The Franciscans in the German-speaking area. Life and goals. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1988, ISBN 3-87163-151-0 .
  • Achim Todenhöfer: Apostolic ideal in a social context. On the genesis of the architecture of the European mendicant order in the 13th century. In: Marburg Yearbook for Art History . Vol. 34, 2007, ISSN  0342-121X , pp. 43-75.

Web links

Commons : Franciscan Orders  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Lothar Hardick OFM: The development of the Order of Friars Minor north of the Alps. (Testament of St. Francis, no.7). In: Geistliches Vermächtnis IV. Study Day of the Franciscan Working Group 1977. Werl 1977 (Wandlung in Treue Vol. 20), pp. 18–29, now also in: Dieter Berg (Ed.): Spiritualität und Geschichte. Ceremony for Lothar Hardick OFM on his 80th birthday. , Werl 1993, ISBN 3-87163-195-7 , pp. 137-146, here p. 137.
  2. ↑ Lothar Hardick OFM (ed.): Chronica fratris Iordani a Iano - German: To Germany and England. The chronicles of the Friars Minor Jordan by Giano and Thomas of Eccleston. (Franciscan Sources, Volume 6). Werl 1957.
  3. ^ Karl Suso Frank : Franciscans. I. Idea and basic structure . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 4 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1995, Sp. 30th f . franziskaner.de, Bulleted Rule (German text)
  4. ↑ Regula non bullata 6, on this: Alfred Dollmann: Bruder und Diener. The apostolate with Francis and in the early days of his order. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1968, p. 128.
  5. ^ Lothar Hardick OFM: The Franciscan understanding of ministry (Testament No. 12). In: Spiritual Legacy VI. Study day of the Franciscan Working Group 1979. Werl 1980 (Wandlung in Treue Vol. 22), pp. 46–59, now also in: Dieter Berg (Ed.): Spiritualität und Geschichte. Ceremony for Lothar Hardick OFM on his 80th birthday. Werl 1993, ISBN 3-87163-195-7 , pp. 91-102, here p. 94.
  6. ^ Herbert Schneider: The Franciscans in the German-speaking area. Life and goals. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1988, p. 14.
  7. ^ Lothar Hardick OFM: The development of the Order of Friars Minor north of the Alps. (Testament of St. Francis, no.7). In: Geistliches Vermächtnis IV. Study Day of the Franciscan Working Group 1977. Werl 1977 (Wandlung in Treue Vol. 20), pp. 18–29, now also in: Dieter Berg (Ed.): Spiritualität und Geschichte. Ceremony for Lothar Hardick OFM on his 80th birthday. , Werl 1993, ISBN 3-87163-195-7 , pp. 137-146, here pp. 143f.145f.
  8. ↑ Thomas von Celano : The life of St. Francis of Assisi: Cap. CIX, after: Andreas Rüther : mendicant orders in town and country. The Strasbourg Mendikantenkonvente and Alsace in the late Middle Ages (= Berlin historical studies, Volume 26: Order Studies XI). Duncker & Humblot , Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-428-09235-X (dissertation, Freie Universität Berlin, 1994), p. 177f., Also on the following.
  9. ^ Bruno Rottenbach: Würzburg street names. Volume 1, Franconian Society Printing House, Würzburg 1967, p. 102 f. (Franziskanergasse) .
  10. ↑ kolumba.de .
  11. ↑ Bavarian Franciscan Province (Ed.): 1625-2010. The Bavarian Franciscan Province. From its beginnings until today. Furth 2010, p. 6f.
    Dieter Berg (Ed.): Traces of Franciscan History. Werl 1999, p. 19.
    Bernd Schmies: Structure and organization of the Saxon Franciscan Province and its Custody of Thuringia from the beginning to the Reformation. In: Thomas T. Müller, Bernd Schmies, Christian Loefke (Eds.): For God and the World. Franciscans in Thuringia. Paderborn u. a. 2008, pp. 38–49, here p. 39ff.
  12. ↑ Dieter Berg (Ed.): Traces of Franciscan History. Werl 1999, p. 19.
    Bernd Schmies: Structure and organization of the Saxon Franciscan Province and its Custody of Thuringia from the beginning to the Reformation. In: Thomas T. Müller, Bernd Schmies, Christian Loefke (eds.): For God and the world. Franciscans in Thuringia. Paderborn u. a. 2008, pp. 38–49, here p. 39ff.
  13. ^ Lothar Hardick OFM: The development of the Order of Friars Minor north of the Alps. (Testament of St. Francis, no.7). In: Geistliches Vermächtnis IV. Study Day of the Franciscan Working Group 1977. Werl 1977 (Wandlung in Treue Vol. 20), pp. 18–29, now also in: Dieter Berg (Ed.): Spiritualität und Geschichte. Ceremony for Lothar Hardick OFM on his 80th birthday. , Werl 1993, ISBN 3-87163-195-7 , pp. 137-146, here pp. 138f.
  14. ↑ Johannes Schlageter: The beginnings of the Franciscans in Thuringia. In: Thomas T. Müller, Bernd Schmies, Christian Loefke (Eds.): For God and the World. Franciscans in Thuringia. Paderborn u. a. 2008, pp. 32–37, here pp. 33f.36.
  15. ↑ Dieter Berg (Ed.): Traces of Franciscan History. Werl 1999, p. 19.
    Bernd Schmies: Structure and organization of the Saxon Franciscan Province and its Custody of Thuringia from the beginning to the Reformation. In: Thomas T. Müller, Bernd Schmies, Christian Loefke (Eds.): For God and the World. Franciscans in Thuringia. Paderborn u. a. 2008, pp. 38–49, here p. 39ff.
  16. ^ Gudrun Gleba: Monasteries and orders in the Middle Ages. WBG, 4th edition, Darmstadt 2011, p. 107.
  17. ↑ Bernd Schmies: Structure and organization of the Saxon Franciscan Province and its Custody of Thuringia from the beginnings to the Reformation. In: Thomas T. Müller, Bernd Schmies, Christian Loefke (Eds.): For God and the World. Franciscans in Thuringia. Paderborn u. a. 2008, pp. 38–49, here p. 40.44
  18. ↑ franziskaner.net: Bullied rule
  19. ↑ Horst von der Bey, Johannes-Baptist Freyer (Ed.): The Franciscan Movement. Volume 1: History and Spirituality. Mainz 1996, pp. 145ff., 157-180.
  20. ^ Horst von der Bey OFM: Franziskanischer Friedensdienst. In: Horst von der Bey, Johannes-Baptist Freyer (Ed.): The Franciscan Movement. Volume 1: History and Spirituality. Mainz 1996, pp. 73-89.
  21. ^ Herbert Schneider: The Franciscans in the German-speaking area. Life and goals. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1988, p. 61.
  22. ^ Karl Suso Frank : Franciscans. I. Idea and basic structure . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 4 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1995, Sp. 30th f . franziskaner.de, Bulleted Rule (German text)
  23. ↑ Regula non bullata 6, on this: Alfred Dollmann: Bruder und Diener. The apostolate with Francis and in the early days of his order. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1968, p. 128.
  24. ^ Lothar Hardick OFM: The Franciscan understanding of ministry (Testament No. 12). In: Spiritual Legacy VI. Study day of the Franciscan Working Group 1979. Werl 1980 (Wandlung in Treue Vol. 22), pp. 46–59, now also in: Dieter Berg (Ed.): Spiritualität und Geschichte. Ceremony for Lothar Hardick OFM on his 80th birthday. , Werl 1993, ISBN 3-87163-195-7 , pp. 91-102, here p. 94.
  25. ↑ Horst von der Bey, Johannes-Baptist Freyer (Ed.): The Franciscan Movement. Volume 1: History and Spirituality. Mainz 1996, pp. 131-138.
  26. ^ Herbert Schneider: The Franciscans in the German-speaking area. Life and goals. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1988, pp. 88-93.
  27. ↑ Horst von der Bey OFM: Dark Remembering: Jews and Franciscans. In: Horst von der Bey, Johannes-Baptist Freyer (Ed.): The Franciscan Movement. Volume 1: History and Spirituality. Mainz 1996, pp. 148-157, especially pp. 148.152f.155f.
  28. ↑ Johannes Schlageter: The beginnings of the Franciscans in Thuringia. In: Thomas T. Müller, Bernd Schmies, Christian Loefke (Eds.): For God and the World. Franciscans in Thuringia. Paderborn u. a. 2008, pp. 32–37, here p. 36f.
    Gudrun Gleba: Monasteries and orders in the Middle Ages. WBG, 4th edition, Darmstadt 2011, p. 108.
  29. ↑ Raynald Wagner: On the history of the Bavarian Franciscan Province from 1625 to 1802. In: Bayerische Franziskanerprovinz (Hrsg.): 1625 - 2010. The Bavarian Franciscan Province. From its beginnings until today. Furth 2010, pp. 6–29, here p. 8f.
  30. ^ Herbert Schneider : The Franciscans in the German-speaking area. Life and goals. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1988, p. 18.
  31. ^ Dieter Berg: The Franciscans in Westphalia. In: ders .: Poverty and History. Studies on the history of the mendicant orders in the High and Late Middle Ages. (=  Saxonia Franciscana Volume 11.) Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer 2001, ISBN 3-7666-2074-6 , pp. 307-334, here p. 319ff.
  32. ↑ Bernd Schmies, Volker Honemann : The Franciscan Province of Saxonia from its beginnings to 1517: basic features and lines of development. In: Volker Honemann (Ed.): From the beginnings to the Reformation. Paderborn 2015, pp. 21–44, here p. 66.
  33. ↑ Horst von der Bey, Johannes-Baptist Freyer (Ed.): The Franciscan Movement. Volume 1: History and Spirituality. Mainz 1996, p. 97 (after Kajetan Eßer OFM).
  34. ^ Karl Suso Frank : Franciscans. IV. Story . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 4 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1995, Sp. 33 .
  35. ^ Herbert Schneider: The Franciscans in the German-speaking area. Life and goals. Dietrich-Coelde-Verlag, Werl 1988, p. 18.
  36. ↑ Dieter Berg (Ed.): Traces of Franciscan History. Werl 1999, p. 245.277.
  37. ^ Provincialate of the German Franciscans (ed.): Franziskaner. Magazine for Franciscan Culture and Way of Life. Summer 2017, p. 29.
    franziskaner.net: Franciscans on the way to becoming a religious organization? The three branches of the First Order of St. Francis are openly considering a merger (06/19/2017) ; franziskaner.net: Report from the Mats Chapter of the Friars Minor (19.06.2017)
  38. ↑ orden.de: Statistics male order, as of December 31, 2016 , accessed on July 11, 2017.
  39. ↑ Bavarian Franciscan Province (Ed.): 1625-2010. The Bavarian Franciscan Province. From its beginnings until today. Furth 2010, p. 6f.
    Willibald Kullmann: The Saxon Franciscan Province, a tabular guide to its history. Düsseldorf 1927, 9.14-20.
  40. ↑ on www.franziskanerkloster-wuerzburg.de, as of February 2, 2010. An attempt to settle in Salzburg initially failed, cf. Text of the lecture ( memento from December 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) at franziskaner.members.cablelink.at, accessed on December 20, 2014.
  41. ↑ Franciscan Church on denkmalpflege-hessen.de
  42. ↑ Horst Schweigert: The Franciscan and Parish Church of the Assumption in Graz. Former Minorite Church. Series Christian Art Sites Austria , Volume 170, ZDB -ID 2182605-5 , Verlag St. Peter, Salzburg 1989, p. 2.