In the inner band from the top: 13) Dolphin: symbol of Christ. 14) Anchor: symbol of hope. 15) Scroll with Cross: symbol of Christian Doctrine. 8a) St. Dominic receives Rosary from the Blessed Virgin Mary. 9a) St. Dominic delivers his last will and testament to the surrounding brethren.
St. Dominic (b. 1170 Calervega, Spain – d. Bologna, Italy 1221) was the founder of the Order of Preachers (more commonly known as the Dominicans). He was the youngest of four children, and his father was warden of the town. Dominic became an Austin Canon of Osma Cathedral, known for his studies and the help he gave to the poor. During a famine, Dominic sold his books to help the dying. Afterwards, he devoted his life to monasticism. A new Osma bishop, Diego, took him to meet the heretical Albigenses, who were established in Languedoc. Dominic stayed to try to make converts. Bishop Diego died, and in 1207, the papal legate Peter de Castelnau was murdered by the Albigenses. A civil war ensued, but Dominic and his followers continued to try to convert the Albigenses.In 1215, Dominic established himself in Toulouse and decided to establish a religious order. It would be monastic; the members would be bound by vows emphasizing poverty, but they would teach and spread the word of God by preaching. His new order was approved by Rome in 1216. His friars were sent to Paris, Oxford, Bologna, and the rest of Italy. In Rome, the pope gave him the churches of S. Sabina for the friars, and S. Sisto for the nuns. He spent his final years traveling. Near the end of his life, he stated that he was a virgin, but that he had taken more pleasure from company of young women than from older women. He was canonized in 1234. His Bologna tomb (1264) was built by Nicolas Pisano and later enhanced by Michelangelo. There are painted cycles of his life by Fra Angelico at Fiesole and Florence. His usual emblems are a lily and a black and white dog (a punning reference to Domini canes, dogs of the Lord) holding a torch, as herald of truth. The Dominicans went on to become a powerful order in the Catholic Church.
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