Order of the Holy Spirit

The Order of the Holy Spirit was founded by Guy de Montpellier around 1180 following a modified rule of Saint Augustine. The Order received papal recognition on 23 April 1198 by Pope Innocent III. The Order of the Holy Spirit provided hospital care to the poor and sick, but included a military component similar to the Templars and the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. The Order included men as canons regular and women as cloistered sisters, as well as lay confraternity members and Knights, the latter who served as the military component of the Order. The Order of the Holy Spirit saw its apogee in the fifteenth century, however, the French properties of the Order of the Holy Spirit was largely suppressed in 1672, having most of its lands and buildings incorporated in to the Ordre royal militaire et hospitalier de Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel et de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem. The Order remained active in France until the French Revolution in 1798. The Order of the Holy Spirit was officially suppressed in 1847 by Pope Pius IX, but in Spain the Order's women's communities continued to exist as autonomous communities, where they became known as the Comendadoras del Espiritu Santo. The independent women's communities united into a single federation in 1958. Not to be confused with the Ordre du Saint-Esprit, which is an order of knighthood and chivalry.

HMML ID
321098197819
PURL
https://w3id.org/haf/organization/321098197819
LC name
Order of the Holy Spirit
HMML name
Order of the Holy Spirit
Library of Congress
https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008085437
VIAF
https://viaf.org/viaf/124365038

Variants

  • Frati ospedalieri del S. Spirito
  • Frati ospedalieri del Santo Spirito
  • Heilig-Geist-Orden
  • Hospitallers of the Holy Ghost
  • Hospitallers of the Holy Spirit
  • Order of the Holy Ghost
  • Ordine di S. Spirito
  • Ordine di S. Spirito in Sassia
  • Ordine di S. Spirito in Saxia
  • Ordine di Santo Spirito

Organization information

Organization type
Religious orders
Foundation date
1180~
Dissolution date
1847-07
Centuries
12th century CE ● 13th century CE ● 14th century CE ● 15th century CE ● 16th century CE ● 17th century CE ● 18th century CE ● 19th century CE
Founding locations
Associated locations
Countries
France  ● Spain  ● Italy
Languages
French ● Italian ● Latin ● Spanish
Fields of activity

Organization relationships

Parent organizations
Sub-organizations

General notes

Citations
New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd edition (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America, 2003), VII: 51-52.

Preferred citation

"Order of the Holy Spirit." HMML Authority File. Hill Museum & Manuscript Library. Last modified November 01, 2022. https://w3id.org/haf/organization/321098197819

Change notes

Date added
2022-11-01
Last edited
2022-11-01