Saint Raymond of Penyafort | |
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| Born | c. 1175 Santa Margarida i els Monjos,Principality of Catalonia,Crown of Aragon |
| Died | 6 January 1275 Barcelona, Crown of Aragon |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 1542, Rome byPope Paul III |
| Canonized | 29 April 1601, Rome byPope Clement VIII |
| Majorshrine | Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia Barcelona,Catalonia, Spain |
| Feast | 7 January |
| Attributes | skimming across the sea with his cape as both boat and sail[1] |
| Patronage | canon lawyers; all types of lawyers,Barcelona,Kingdom of Navarre |
Raymond of PenyafortOP (Catalan:Sant Ramon de Penyafort,IPA:[ˈsanrəˈmondəˌpɛɲəˈfɔɾ];c. 1175 – 6 January 1275) was aCatalan friar with theDominicans who was acanon lawyer. He compiled theDecretals of Gregory IX, a collection ofcanonical laws that remained a major part of Church law until the1917 Code of Canon Law abrogated it. He was canonized byPope Clement VIII in 1601 and is thepatron saint of canon lawyers.
He wrote one of the first manuals for user of the inquisitors, theDirectorium inquisitoriale (1242).[2]
Raymond of Penyafort was born inSanta Margarida i els Monjos, a small town nearBarcelona,Principality of Catalonia,c. 1175. Descended from a noble family with ties to the royal house of Aragon, he was educated in Barcelona and at theUniversity of Bologna, where he receiveddoctorates in bothcivil andcanon law. From 1195 to 1210, he taught canon law. In 1210, he moved toBologna, where he remained until 1222, including three years occupying theChair of canon law at the university. He came to know the newly foundedDominican Order there.[3] Raymond was attracted to the Dominican Order by the preaching of Blessed Reginald, prior of the Dominicans of Bologna, and received the habit at the age of 47,[4] in the Dominican Convent of Barcelona, to which he had returned from Italy in 1222.[5]
Raymond was instrumental in the founding of theMercedarian friars.[6] When approached byPeter Nolasco, Raymond encouraged and assisted him in obtaining the consent of KingJames I of Aragon for the foundation of the Order.
The need to studySemitic languages was affirmed by the General Chapter of theDominican Order inParis in 1236.[7] Raymond established the first school of theStudia Linguarum inTunis, where it was known as theStudium arabicum. The objective of the schools was to help theDominicans liberate Christian captives in Islamic lands.[8]
Raymond had written forconfessors a book of cases, theSumma de casibus poenitentiae. More than simply a list of sins and suggested penances, it discussed pertinent doctrines and laws of the Church that pertained to the problem or case brought to the confessor, and is widely considered an authoritative work on the subject.[9]
In 1229 Raymond was appointed theologian and penitentiary to the Cardinal Archbishop of Sabina, John of Abbeville, and was summoned to Rome in 1230 byPope Gregory IX, who appointed him chaplain and grand penitentiary.[5]
Knowing Raymond's reputation in the juridical sciences, Gregory IX asked him to help in the rearranging and codifying ofcanon law.Canon laws, which were previously found scattered in many publications, were to be organized into one set of documents.
Papaldecretal letters had been changing the law over the course of the previous 100 years since the publication of theDecretum ofGratian. Being pleased with Raymond's efforts, the pope announced the new publication in aBull directed to the doctors and students ofParis andBologna in September 1234, commanding that the work of Raymond alone should be considered authoritative, and should alone be used in the schools. His collection of canon law, known as theDecretals of Gregory IX, became a standard for almost 700 years. Canon law was finally fully codified by 1917.
Raymond of Penyafort served as theconfessor for KingJames I of Aragon. While on the island ofMajorca to initiate a campaign to help convert the Moors living there, the king brought his mistress with him. Raymond reproved the king and asked him repeatedly to dismiss hisconcubine. The king refused to do so. Finally, the saint told the king that he could remain with him no longer and made plans to leave for Barcelona. But the king forbade Raymond to leave the island, and threatened punishment to any ship captain who dared to take him.
Raymond and his Dominican companion went down to the seashore where Raymond took off hiscappa (the long black cloak worn by Dominicans over the white tunic and scapular), and spread one end of it on the water while rigging the other end to his walking staff. Having thus formed a miniaturemast, Raymond bid the other Dominican to hop on, but his companion, lacking the saint’s faith, refused to do so. Then Raymond bid him farewell, and with thesign of the cross he pushed away from the shore and sailed away on his cloak. Skirting around the very boats that had forbidden him passage, the saint was seen by scores of sailors who shouted in astonishment and urged him on. According to this legend, Raymond sailed the 160 miles toBarcelona in the space of six hours, where his landing was witnessed by a crowd of amazed spectators. In awe of this miracle, King James I mended his ways.[10]
Having reached his 60th year, Raymond retired to a reclusive life in Barcelona. Within the year, however, Raymond was appointed to the position ofArchbishop of Tarragona, the ecclesiastical capital of thePrincipality of Catalonia and theCrown of Aragon, but declined.[5]
Raymond returned toBarcelona in 1236. Not long able to remain in seclusion, however, he was elected theMaster of the Order of Preachers by theGeneral Chapter of 1238. He immediately set out on foot to visit all the houses of friars and nuns of the Order. Even in the midst of this, he was able to draft a new set of Constitutions of the Order, in which he included a resignation clause for the Master. When it was adopted by the next General Chapter of 1240, he immediately took advantage of that option and resigned within two years.[3]
Although not an inquisitor, as an advisor toJames I of Aragon he was often consulted regarding questions of law regarding the practices of the Inquisition in the king's domains. "...[T]he lawyer's deep sense of justice and equity, combined with the worthy Dominican's sense of compassion, allowed him to steer clear of the excesses that were found elsewhere in the formative years of the inquisitions into heresy."[11] Raymond approved ofconjugal visits for those imprisoned so that the spouse should not be exposed to the risk of possible adultery.
Rejoicing to see himself again free of office, he applied himself with fresh vigor to theChristian ministry, especially working for the conversion of the Moors. To this end he encouragedThomas Aquinas to write his workAgainst the Gentiles. He instituted the teaching of Arabic and Hebrew in several houses of the friars. He also founded priories inMurcia (then still ruled by Arabs) and inTunis. Additionally he went to help establish the Church in the recently conquered island ofMallorca.
He exercised great influence over King James of Aragon and succeeded in persuading him to order a public debate, concerning Judaism and Christianity, betweenMoshe ben Nahman, arabbi inGirona, andPaulus Christiani, a baptized Jew ofMontpellier who belonged to the Dominicans. In this debate, which took place in the royal palace and other venues at Barcelona from 20–31 July 1263, in the presence of the king and of many of the higher clergy, Raymond took an important part. He was at the head of the theologians present, and in agreement with the king gave the rabbi perfect freedom of speech. Raymond simply observed to Moses ben Nachman that he must not allow himself to blaspheme Christianity, to which Moses replied that he knew what the laws of propriety demanded. On theJewish Sabbath following the close of the debate, the king, together with many preaching friars and other clergy, visited thesynagogue.[12]
Raymond died at the age of 100 in Barcelona in 1275 and wascanonized byPope Clement VIII in 1601. He was buried in theCathedral of Santa Eulalia in Barcelona.
St. Raymond of Peñafort's feast day was inserted in theGeneral Roman Calendar in 1671 for celebration on 23 January. In 1969 it was moved to 7 January, the day after that of his death.[13] He is thepatron saint ofcanon lawyers, specifically, and also of lawyers in general.
The St. Raymond Peñafort Building at theUniversity of Santo Tomas inManila, which houses theCollege of Commerce and Business Administration and theFaculty of Arts and Letters, is named in his honor.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: O'Kane, Michael (1911). "St. Raymond of Penafort". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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| Preceded by | Master General of the Dominican Order 1238–1240 | Succeeded by |
