Theatines

Theatines, a religious brotherhood of the Roman Catholic Church, which played a very important part in the internal movement for reformation which took place in Central and Southern Italy towards the middle of the 16th century. The founders of this association were a party of friends, Cajetan di Thiene, John Peter Caraffa, at that time Bishop of Theate (from which the Congregation took the name Theatine), Paul Consiglieri, and Bonifazio di Colle. Cajetan and Caraffa, in concert with the two other friends named above, having resigned all their preferments, obtained in 1524 a brief of Clement, formally constituting the new brotherhood, with the three usual vows, and with the privilege of electing their superior, who was to hold office for three years. They were forbidden to possess property, and were to subsist entirely upon the alms of the faithful; and yet they were strictly forbidden to beg, or in any way to solicit charitable contributions. Their first convent was opened in Rome, and Caraffa, afterwards Pope Paul IV., was chosen as the first superior. He was succeeded in 1527 by Cajetan, and the Congregation began to extend over Italy, and afterwards into Spain, Poland, Germany, not reaching France till 1644. To their activity, devotedness, and zeal Ranke ascribes much of the success of that remarkable reaction against Protestantism which took place in the later half of the 16th century. Subsequently the Theatine order is confined to Italy. A body of Theatine nuns was established in 1618.