Religious order founded by
St. John of Math in 1198 in Cerfroid,
France, whose
mission was to
redeem captives of the
infidels during the
Crusades. Members, who were
forbidden to ride
horses (either from
humility or the
difficulty of
Christians keeping horses in
Muslim lands) were known as the "
Friars of the
Ass." The order was set up so that one third of its
revenue went to take care of the
poor, one third went to
support the
monks, and one third went to the
liberation of captive Christians in the
Holy Land. Revenue was made via the selling of
indulgences, and solemn roadshows spreading
sermons, stories, and
tableaux of the unhappy lot of those imprisoned in
Mussulman countries, often with special guest stars-- actual captives freed via the monks'
intervention. It is estimated that over the course of three centuries, the Trinitarians released 90,000 captives, the most famous of which was
Cervantes (ransomed in 1580). The order still has houses and
hospitals in
Italy and
Spain.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia