Dominicans

Founded at the beginning of the thirteenth century by Saint Dominic, the preacher brothers, in other words Dominicans, are part of a religious order of the Catholic Church.

As the name suggests, they are dedicated to preaching. Preaching is the proclamation of the truth of love. This love has been given to the world; it has been revealed so that all men may be saved by the mercy of God.

For that, Dominicans live in a convent where they pray, study and live together in order to praise and bless the Lord before giving the Gospel to the world. All for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.

The Dominican family

Dominican friars are not alone. In their Order, they are helped by the prayers of the nuns. The brothers share their mission with apostolic sisters, such as the Dominicans of the holy rosary of Monteils, the nuns of Saint-Maximin who carry us by prayer, and lay people who live Dominican spirituality in their daily lives . Priests share the Dominican spirituality as a priestly fraternity in order to nourish their priestly ministry.

Guardians of Saint Baume

A small community of several Dominican friars welcomes pilgrims to Saint Baume (Grotto and Hostelry). This welcome of the pilgrims is very ancient, since it was in 1295 that, at the instigation of Charles II d’Anjou, Pope Boniface VIII and the Order of St. Dominic installed a community of four brothers in the same place.

The reasons for their presence here

It is quite astonishing that it is Dominicans who are settled in this remote place of the world that tends to make them hermits. The Dominicans in fact are « preachers », which usually calls them in the cities where they can meet a larger public. There are, however, several good reasons for the appropriateness of this seven-centuries-old presence on this place of devotion to St. Mary Magdalene:

★ An historical reason : the installation in Sainte Baume in 1295 goes hand in hand with the foundation of the convent of Saint-Maximin where Charles II had rediscovered in 1279 the relics of Saint Mary Magdalene. This Prince Charles II was personally close to the Order of St. Dominic.

★ A « hagiographic » reason : some « fioretti » of the Order argue that it is Mary Magdalene herself who chooses her brothers … For the Apostle of the Apostles it was necessary to have « guardians » who were themselves apostles: the preaching brothers were perfect for that!

★ A missionary reason : at the dawn of a third millennium when the religious question seems central, Saint Baume offers several advantages for the mission of the Church and the preaching. In Sainte-Baume you can admire the beauty of a wonderfully preserved creation; you can meet the legacy of a living tradition that marked centuries of our European and Provencal culture; And finally, the Gospel appears here concrete and close, thanks to the testimony of the sinner who became a disciple and apostle.

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