The Sun.
London, England, 1835-08-11 00:00:00

SPAIN.

SUPPRESSION OF NINE HUNDRED CONVENTS

IN SPAIN.

The following exposition from the Minister of Justice and
Royal decree were published in the Madrid Gazette of Wed-
nesday, July 9 :--.

" EXPOSITION TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN-REGENT.

" Madame,—The necessity of salutary and prudent reforms
among the secular and regular clergy has during a long space
of time been recognized by the kingdom assembled in Cortes,
which has not ceased constantly to cry out for a stop being put
to the irregularities of an indiscreet zeal and of a piety hardly
understood, that have caused so many prejudices and evils to
the State ; and also the Council and Chamber of Castile
(lately suppressed) frequently addressed their voice respect-
fully to the Throne, and proposed the remedies which they
considered suitable for pruning away the superfluities of
the ecclesiastical state (secular as well as regular) occa-
sioned by the superabundant number of clergy and con-
vents, with a relaxation of the regular discipline. The
august predecessors of your Majesty did occupy their atten-
tion on those important topics, not only by soliciting epos-
tolical commissions for preparing and realizing those re-
forms, and by forming concordats with the Holy See,
and obtaining therefrom bulls and briefs on determinate
matters, but also in the exercise of their incontestible rights
of s,„vereignty, and as protectors of the canons of the church,
by dictating many general and particular measures, which are
to be found in the latest edition of the laws of the kingdom ;
but as those measures have not in a great part been carried
into execution, and they being, moreover, found to be insuffi-
cient for obtaining and realising the wishes so openly mani-
fested by all the good citizens of all classes and ranks, whose
piety and attachment to religion are as well known as their
love for the welfare and prosperity of their native country,
your Majesty, always anxious to insure to the Spaniards all the
advantages derivable from the reign of your august daughter,
my Sovereign, Donna Isabel 11., was pleased by a decree
issued on the 22d of April last year to create a commission
composed not only of ecclesiastics belonging to the seculars
and regulars, recommendable alike for their virtues, science,
dignity, and sincere adhesion to legitimacy, but also of other
highly worthy persons not being clergymen, with orders that
after a due examination of the whole subject they should pro-
pose for the Royal sanction of your Majesty such a plan of
amelioration as they should judge most useful, the basis of
their operations being the instruction then issued by your Ma-
jesty with the laudable purpose of bringing about the reform,
while at the same time every security should be given to the
faithful of their receiving abundant spiritual food.
" After a year of assiduous labour, the Commission pre-
sents to your Majesty the fruit of its meditations ; it consists
of bases of general reform, to be applied as well to the secu-
lar as the regular clergy. These bases, which shall be ex-
amined carefully by the Government, whilst the Commission
draw-up the necessary regulation for their application, furnish
various matters for future laws, to be submitted to the Cham-
ber, after the chiefs of the Church have been consulted. But
it is my duty to call the attention of your Majesty to those
points which have for their object the suppression of these mo-
nastiries and convents, the number of whose inmates is less
than twelve—that number being necessary, according to seve-
ral canons, to constitute a religious community. But as it re-
sults from the information furnished to the Commission, that
there are many monasteries where dicipline cannot be ob-
served, on account of the deficient number of their inmates,

I propose to your Majesty the suppression of those monaste-
ries which are in this position, and ultimately of all which
may be hereafter similarly situated. I therefore present the fol-
lowing decree for the approbation of your Majesty. The im-
mediate effect of this will be the suppression of 900 houses of
religious orders, the half of those which exist at present,
and the application of their property to the liquidation► of
the public debt. 43 monasteries of different orders will
be suppressed ; 138 convents of Dominicans, 181 of Fran-
ciscans, 77 of bare-footed monks, 7 Terceros, 29 of Ca-
puchins, 88 of Augustine, 65 of Carmelites, 17 Recoletos,
63 Mercenarios 50 of St. Jean de Dios, 11 of Premostra-
tenses 6 of Clgrigos Menores, 4 of Agonizantes, 3 of Servi-
tas, 62 of Mininzos, 37 of Trinitarios Calzados, and 76 of
same bare-footed order. The monasteries, which, according
to the Report of the Commission, have not the legal number,
and even those who have, provided the two-thirds be not
quireists, are to be equally suppressed."
(Signed) " MANUEL GARCIA HERREROS."

DECREE FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF CONVENTS.

The inconsiderate and progressive increase of the monasteries
convents, the excessive number of individuals of some, and the
smallness of that of others, the relaxation of regular discipline
consequent thereupon, and the evils thence arising to religion
and the state, have more than once excited, for their correc-
tion the zeal of the Kings of Spain, and of the kingdom assem-
bled in Cortes, and even also of the Holy See. Thus it is that
by one of the conditions of millions it was regulated that licen-
ses should not be granted for new foundations of monasteries,
not even under the titles of hospedaries, missions, residences,
or any other name whatsoever, and that the Apostolical See
has issued various briefs, entrusted to the prelates of those king-
doms, for the reform therein of the regulars, which have not,
however, reached the desired effect, in consequence of unfor-
seen circumstances. It results, therefore, that there exist
now in Spain more than 900 convents, which in consequence
of the small number of their inmates cannot maintain their re-
ligious discipline, nor be useful to the church. Taking,
therefore, into consideration, that conformably to various apos-
tolical constitutions of different supreme Pontiffs, the number
of 12 professed religious at the lowest is requisite, of whom
two-thirds shall belong to the choir ; and being desirous of
putting a speedy close to the evils resulting from the non-ob-
servance of those holy maxims, having heard the decision of
the Council of Ministers, and agreeing with the report of the
Royal Ecclesiastical Commission, I have decided in the name
of my august daughter, Queen Isabel 11., to issue the follow-
ing commands :
" Art. I.—Monasteries and convents who have not twelve
professed monks, are suppressed ; and for the future, the mo-
nasteries, the number of whose monks are below twelve, shall
be suppressed.
" Art. 2.—Monasteries and convents which have been pre-
viously shut, are equally suppressed if they have not the
above number of monks.
Art. 3. If considerations of public utility demand the
preservation of one, or of many monasteries, not having the
number of twelve monks, the number shall be completed from
other convents of the same order.

" Art. 4. —The hcuses of the regular elergy, pious schools,
and colleges of missionaries for the provinces of Asia, are ex-
cepted from this rule.

" Art. s.—The monks of the suppressed convents and mo-
nasteries will betake themselves to other houses of their or-
der, which will be pointed out to them by their prelates ; and
they may take with them such furniture as may be necessary
for their private use.
" Art. 6. The parishes of the suppressed monasteries and
convents shall be secularised with all the rights which they
have hitherto possessed.
" Art. 7.—A1l the goods, revenues, and property of the
suppressed monasteries, shall be applied to the extinction of
the public debt, or to the payment of its interests, excepting
the archives, libraries, pictures, and other objects which may
lie useful to establishments of sciences and arts ; and also
the monasteries, convents, churches, ornaments, and sacred
vases, the disposing of which, I reserve to myself.
" Art. 8. If the revenues of a monastery, where the monks
of a suppressed establishment have been received, are not suffi-
cient. a part of the goods of the suppressed monastery, such as
may be deemed necessary, will be adjudged to it.
( Signed) "THE QUEEN.
" MANUEL GARCIA HERREROS."
!lA.i)Rir BOURSE, Are. I.—Five per Cents., 55. Four
Per Cents. 45k. Vales, 24:k. Debt without interest, 104.

CAREER OF DON CARLOS.—The forthcoming
narrative connected with this Prince, and with the Civil War
in Spain, is written by the Baron de Los Valles, the friend and
conildant of Don Carlos. In this work the events which im-
rnecli.,tely preceded the death of King Ferdinand will be mi-
nutt,ly developed, and the germ of the present resolution traced.
All „hick has occurred subsequently to this, such as the per-
sonal adventures of the Prince to the present time, together
with an account of the life and actions of Zumalacarregui, will
be narrated with full detail. The circumstances to be un-
folded are understood to possess much of romantic interest, and
the volume altogether will form an important chapter in con-
, temporary history.