St. Dominic Guzmán

In 1205, by order of King Alfonso VIII of Castile, he accompanied the Bishop of Osma, Diego de Acebes, as an extraordinary ambassador to arrange the wedding of Prince Ferdinand at the Danish court. For this reason, he made trips to Denmark and Rome. During this expedition, he encountered heretics - the Cathars. He decided to convert them by preaching the Gospel. Initially, it was him and Bishop Diego who evangelized, and afterwards they were joined by others. Bearing this in mind, he settled in Languedoc in 1206, while Bishop Diego had to return to his diocese. That same year, he founded the first Dominican nuns' house in Prouille. In 1215, in Toulouse, he organized the first community of preachers, which later gave rise to an order. In 1216, the order was founded, which Pope Honorius III approved on December 22 of the same year. The following year he sends the brothers to Spain and Paris, and a little later also to Bologna. He received the church of Santa Sabina on the Aventine in Rome, from the Pope, where he organized a monastery. On the Feast of Pentecost in 1220, he attended the first general chapter of the order, held in Bologna. This is when the second part of the constitution is written, and a year later, in another chapter, also held in Bologna, the establishment of eight provinces was agreed upon. He died on August 6, 1221 in Bologna, where he was later buried. 

Pope Gregory IX canonized him on July 13, 1234. Initially, his memorial fell on August 5. Pope Pius V, in reforming the liturgy and the liturgical calendar, the moved the memorial of St. Dominic to August 4, to the displeasure of the order. For some time, the Dominicans continued to celebrate the feast of St. Dominic on August 5. After the Second Vatican Council, it was moved to August 8. 

A black legend has developed about St. Dominic, claiming that he was the first inquisitor and even the creator of the Inquisition. The legend was created by the Dominicans themselves, especially the well-known Dominican and inquisitor Bernard Gui (1261-1331), who wanted to link the office to the Order of Preachers. Dominic is depicted as a grand inquisitor, for example, in a painting by Pedro Berruguete from around 1495.

According to not only monastic but also ecclesiastical tradition in general, St. Dominic is credited with the origin of the rosary and rosary prayer. And although its creator is the Carthusian Dominic of Prussia, in iconography we can often see Dominic receiving the rosary from the Virgin Mary. The legend was spread by the Dominican Blessed Alan de la Roche (de Rupe) (ca. 1428-1475). 

However, there are many more depictions of Dominic in iconography, in which his attributes are also shown: a white lily, a book, a star above his head or on his forehead, a dog with a torch in its teeth, a church, a banner and a rosary. The lily, which Dominic holds in his hand, stands for purity and perfection. One of the legends says that in 1530 it was the Virgin Mary, appearing in the company of Saints Mary Magdalene and Catherine of Alexandria, who ordered the Dominican painter, Br. Lawrence, to paint Dominic with a book and a lily as a sign of faith and purity. The book refers to the history of book sales during college, but also can symbolize the love of books, especially Scripture. His witnesses relayed that he always had the Gospel according to St. Matthew and the Epistles of St. Paul with him. In addition, a vision the Saint had is associated with the book: while praying for the approval of the order he founded, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul appeared to him, the former handing him a shepherd's staff and the latter a book, thus foreshadowing the preaching and scientific nature of the order. The star, on the other hand, is associated with the legend, saying that during Dominic's baptism, a star appeared above his head on his forehead to symbolize that his teaching, like a beacon, would guide souls to Christ. The dog with a torch in its teeth refers to the legend, which tells of a vision that the Saint's mother, Blessed Joan de Aza, had. Namely, she dreamed that she gave birth to a dog that held a lit torch in its mouth. It was to mean, it was her son who would light the fire of Jesus Christ in the world through teaching. In turn, the church's mock-up refers to the church founded by St. Dominic and his spiritual sons of numerous monasteries.