The order of the Carthusians has been one of the most famous religious orders in Christianity for many centuries. Founded in the spirit of Bruno of Cologne in the twelfth century, the order has served as the prototype and the quality standard of Western monastic life for many centuries. Up until the present day, it has been a paragon of spirituality, discipline, and purity because of its unique way of life, uniting a solitary existence in the privacy of one’s cell with a communal life amidst fellow monks. Spread all over Europe and the world, the Carthusians have also been present in the Netherlands for many centuries. Their pious way of life and its literary and artistic fruits have been invaluable for the Western European church and culture. The heritage of the Dutch Carthusians encompasses unique buildings, writings, art objects, and liturgical objects.
Links to websites on the Carthusians:
On 23 July 1572 pillaging soldiers of the Prince of Orange turned the Roermond Carthusian monastery from a peaceful oasis into a bloody inferno. Twelve monks and the secretary of the then bishop were killed. To this day, they have been remembered as the Roermond Martyrs. The book 'De Martelaren van Roermond' deals with this remarkable event for a wide audience considering different points of view: the motives of the murderers, the experiences of the victims, the historical context of the massacre, the history of the remembrance and veneration of the Roermond Martyrs. Added is a Dutch translation by Harry Kretzers of the standard work on the Roermond Martyrs, written by Arnoldus Havensius in 1608, as well as some other sources. A large number of illustrations offer a visual account of the time the Roermond Carthusians suffered their martyrdom and of their veneration as martyrs in Catholic Europe.
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'The Roermond Carthusians' Foundation |
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