Religiosam vitam is the incipit designating a papal bull issued on 22 December 1216 by Pope Honorius III. It gave universal recognition to the Dominican Order. The order already had monasteries in Rome, Paris and Boulogne and had already been locally recognized by the bishop of Toulouse the year before – its creation had coincided with the Albigensian Crusade in southern France, in whose support the Dominicans had been very active. It adopted the Rule of St Augustine, but was also regulated by rulings and decisions taken by its own regular general chapters.
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Religiosam vitam in the context of Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers (Latin: Ordo Prædicatorum, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by the Castilian priest Dominic de Guzmán. It was approved by Pope Honorius III via the papal bull Religiosam vitam on 22 December 1216. Members of the order, who are referred to as Dominicans, generally display the letters OP after their names, standing for Ordinis Praedicatorum, meaning 'of the Order of Preachers'. Membership in the order includes friars, nuns, active sisters, and lay or secular Dominicans (formerly known as tertiaries). More recently, there have been a growing number of associates of the religious sisters who are unrelated to the tertiaries.
Founded to preach the gospel and to oppose heresy, the teaching activity of the order and its scholastic organisation placed it at the forefront of the intellectual life of the Middle Ages. The order is famed for its intellectual tradition and for having produced many leading theologians and philosophers. In 2018, there were 5,747 Dominican friars, including 4,299 priests. The order is headed by the master of the order who, as of 2022, is Gerard Timoner III. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Augustine of Hippo and Francis of Assisi are the Principal Patrons of the order.