1347) Saint Dominic

Saint Dominic, also known as Dominic of Osma and Dominic of Caleruega, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán (1170 – 1221). Castilian Catholic priest and founder of the Dominican Order. Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers.

In 1215, Dominic established himself, with six followers, in a house given by Peter Seila, a rich resident of Toulouse. Dominic saw the need for a new type of organization to address the spiritual needs of the growing cities of the era, one that would combine dedication and systematic education, with more organizational flexibility than either monastic orders or the secular clergy. He subjected himself and his companions to the monastic rules of prayer and penance; and meanwhile Bishop Foulques gave them written authority to preach throughout the territory of Toulouse.

Also in 1215, the year of the Fourth Lateran Council, Dominic and Foulques went to Rome to secure the approval of the Pope, Innocent III. Dominic returned to Rome a year later, and was finally granted written authority in December 1216 and January 1217 by the new pope, Honorius III for him to form the Ordo Praedicatorum ("Order of Preachers").

The spread of the Rosary, a Marian devotion, is attributed to the preaching of Dominic. For centuries the Rosary has been at the heart of the Dominican Order. Pope Pius XI stated, "The Rosary of Mary is the principle and foundation on which the very Order of Saint Dominic rests for making perfect the life of its members and obtaining the salvation of others." For centuries, Dominicans have been instrumental in spreading the Rosary and emphasizing the Catholic belief in The Power of the Rosary.

 

  "Cecilia Cesarini, who was received by Dominic into his new order, in her old age described him as "...thin and of middle height. His face was handsome and somewhat fair. He had reddish hair and beard and beautiful eyes ..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Dominic

 

- "Saint Dominik was of a midle stature, and a most comly person, his face long, his nose bowing like a hawkes bill, his hair somewhat red, the color of his face white, his head more gray then his beard, his hair very thick, so that there was no appearance that he would become bald." https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VO1BAQAAMAAJ&newbks=1...