Raymond of Penyafort

Who they were

Raymond was born in 1175 at Penyafort in Catalonia to a rich noble family. He studied at Barcelona and then law at Bologna, where he became professor of canon law. Recalled to Catalonia to teach in the bishop of Barcelona's new seminary, he became a Dominican in 1222, and a year later, with St Peter Nolasco, founded the Mercedarians to ransom Christian captives; he also wrote a guide for confessors.

Pope Gregory IX set him the immense task of collecting the papal decrees on Church discipline. As Master of the Dominicans he equipped the friars to preach to people of other faiths, founding schools of Hebrew at Murcia and of Arabic at Tunis. He died at Barcelona on 6 January 1275, aged 100; many miracles were reported at his funeral.

The miracles

His remains are in Barcelona Cathedral. The miracles examined for his canonisation are not described in the sources we have used.

Why that counted as sanctity

Raymond put a great legal mind at the service of the Church and the poor: he helped free captives, formed confessors, gave the Church its law, and prepared his brothers to bring Christ to Jews and Muslims by understanding them.

Connected on this site

• Peter Nolasco Saint
  “Moved also by a vision, and encouraged by St Raymond of Penyafort and King James I of Aragon, in 1218 he founded the Mercedarians, whose members vowed to give all they had to redeem captives and, if necessary, to remain in captivity in their place; Gregory IX approved the order in 1230.” — this site's research