Windesheim Congregation

Roman Catholicism

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July 15, 2026

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The Congregation of Windesheim was founded in 1387 by Florentius Radewyns, a Dutch Roman Catholic theologian. It was part of the devotio moderna movement, which emphasized meditation and the inner spiritual life over ritual and external actions. Radewyns was a successor to Geert Groote and a leader of the Brethren of the Common Life, a community focused on educating the poor.12

The Windesheim monastery became a congregation of Augustinian Canons and, along with the Brethren of the Common Life, was a primary advocate for the sanctity of everyday life within the devotio moderna framework. This movement spread throughout Europe and is famously expressed in the work The Imitation of Christ.12

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- history of the Low Countries
  Culture
  …later organized themselves into the Windesheim monasteries and convents, which followed Augustinian rules. Their communities were extremely important for both education and religion; they were industrious copyists and brought a simple piety to the lower classes. Their work, like that of the mendicant orders, was a typical product of life…
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  …later organized themselves into the Windesheim monasteries and convents, which followed Augustinian rules. Their communities were extremely important for both education and religion; they were industrious copyists and brought a simple piety to the lower classes. Their work, like that of the mendicant orders, was a typical product of life…
  Read More