During the 13th century new Christian orders came into existence. These orders are known as the Mendicant orders, which consisted of the Franciscans which was started by St. Francis of Assisi, and the Dominicans, which was started by a man named St. Dominic. But what were these orders about?
Franciscans
Like I mentioned above the Franciscan order was established by a man named St. Francis of Assisi who was a very influential and important figure in the history of Christianity. The Franciscan order consisted of three “sub” orders, which were: the Order of Friar Minor, the Poor Clares, and the Laymen. The main duties of the Franciscans were to give charity, help the poor and needy, and preach. The Franciscans lived life doing these duties, and only expected God to answer their basic needs. They rather lived in a life of self denial.
Dominicans
The Dominicans were the second of the Mendicant Orders, and were founded by a man named St. Dominic. St. Dominic put quite a bit of effort in combating the rather new religious group at the time the Albigensian’s. The Dominican order was rather similar to the Franciscan order, but instead of doing labor, they instead mainly preached. The “sub” order of the Dominican’s is known as the Order of Friars Preachers.
Conclusion
Both of these two church orders: the Franciscans and Dominicans, played important roles in the development of Christianity in the west. Both of the men who established these orders were highly influential in their time and are still known about today.
The Dreamer 