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TheDulcinians were a religious sect of theLate Middle Ages, originating within theApostolic Brethren. The Dulcinians, or Dulcinites, andApostolic Brethren were inspired byFranciscan ideals and influenced by theJoachimites but were consideredheretical by theCatholic Church. Their name derives from the movement's leader,Fra Dolcino ofNovara (c. 1250–1307), who wasburned as a heretic on the orders ofPope Clement V.
The Dulcinian sect began in 1300 whenGherardo Segarelli, founder of theApostolic Brethren, wasburned at the stake inParma during a brutal repression of the Apostolics. His followers went into hiding to save their lives.Fra Dolcino had joined the Apostolics between 1288 and 1292 and became their leader. He published the first of his letters explaining his ideas about the epochs of history based on the theories ofGioacchino da Fiore.
At the beginning of 1303, Dolcino reunited the Apostolic movement nearLake Garda. He metMargaret of Trent (his lover orsister in spirit) and wrote the second letter to the Apostolics. At the beginning of 1304, three Dulcinians were burned by theInquisition, leading Dolcino to evacuate the community to the west side of theSesia valley, near his native Novara. At the end of 1304, only 1,400 survived on the top of Mount Parete Calva, in the fortifiedPiano dei Gazzari. They descended the mountain topillage and kill the people in the valley, responsible in their eyes for not defending the group against theepiscopal troops. The villagers called them "Gazzari" (Cathars), and joined the soldiers in opposition.
Dolcino justified the acts committed by the Dulcinians by affirming their perfection and holiness based onSaint Paul'sEpistle to Titus (1:15):
To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted.
Margaret and Dolcino were captured and executed.
The main concepts of the Dulcinians were:
Fra Dolcino was inspired by themillenarist theories of Gioacchino da Fiore. He viewed the history of humanity as 4epochs:
In his first letter, Dolcino gave his interpretation of the seven angels andseven churches of theApocalypse of John:
Following the death ofBoniface VIII, Dolcino produced a schedule of 4 popes:
Thus, the advent of the "new holy pope" was postponed to the second pope after the death of Boniface VIII. Dolcino never proposed himself as the new pope in his letters, although this was one of the accusations by the Inquisition. The rallying crypoenitentiam agite (do penance) was attributed to them inThe Name of the Rose, a novel byUmberto Eco.