Note 233 — Chapter VIII · Gothic in the Midi

Paul Fournier, St. Raymond de Pennafort (Collection, Les Saints), (Paris, Lecoffre). St. Raymond’s life, from 1175 to 1275, covers one of the most vital centuries in history. He helped St. Peter Nolasco found the Order of Mercy to redeem Christian captives from Islam; he founded chairs for the study of Oriental languages; he reformed morals by his preaching. A voluntary teacher of philosophy at twenty, then a trained lawyer, it was not till he was touching the half-century limit that he entered the Dominican Order, of which he became the head. For fifty more years he gave himself up to works for humanity’s advancement.