Jerónimo Gracián or Jerome Gratian, OCD (6 June 1545 – 21 September 1614) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Discalced Carmelite The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catholic mendicant ...

and

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. He was the spiritual director of St

Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; 28March 15154or 15October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during the Counter-Re ...

, who took a vow of obedience to him. , (457 pages) He was the first Provincial of the

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbreviation, abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catho ...

.Jerome Gratian
-

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article

Biography

Son of Diego Gracián de Alderete, brother of Lucas Gracián Dantisco, and grandson of the Polish humanist and Erasmian Juan Dantisco ( Jan Dantyszek), he studied at the Jesuit college in Madrid and then went to the

University of Alcalá The University of Alcalá () is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km (22 miles) northeast of Madrid in Spain and also the third-largest city of the region. It was founded in 1293 as a ''Studium Generale'' for t ...

to study theology and philosophy. He was ordained a priest in 1569. He was a disciple of

Saint Teresa of Jesus In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...

. As provincial of the reform, he supported a missionary Discalced Carmelite order for men, encouraging the apostolic work of the friars. However, in conflict with Father Nicholas Doria, who represented the observant movement desired by Philip II, shortly after the death of Saint John of the Cross, he was expelled from the Order. In 1593, he was captured by

Barbary corsairs The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

while sailing from

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to Rome. He was held captive in

Ottoman Tunisia Ottoman Tunisia, also known as the Regency of Tunis, refers to a territory of Ottoman Empire that existed from the 16th to 19th century in what is largely modern-day Tunisia. During the period of Ottoman Rule, Tunis was administratively inte ...

for 2 years until ransomed. His captors firebranded him with a cross on the sole of one foot to punish his evangelizing. Gracián was rehabilitated by Pope Clement VIII in a brief which would have restored him to the Order, had the Discalced Carmelite superiors in Spain been willing to receive him. He was instead admitted by the

Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

San Martino ai Monti San Martino ai Monti, officially known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti ("Saints Sylvester & Martin in the Mountains"), is a minor basilica in Rome, Italy, in the Rione Monti (rione of Rome), Monti neighbourhood. It is located near the edge o ...

. He was officially rehabilitated by the Discalced Carmelite Order in 1991.

References

Carmelites 16th-century Spanish Roman Catholic priests Spanish male writers Writers from Valladolid 1545 births 1614 deaths Slaves of the Barbary Coast {{Spain-writer-stub