PREMOLI, PAOLO FILIPPO. – Barnabite, born in Crema in 1692, died there on 21 March 1771.
Penitentiary and commentator on Holy Scripture at the metropolitan church of Bologna, confessor to Cardinal Lambertini, and Superior General of his Order (1755–61). He published anonymously the *Regole per le Converte Camerliniane* of the convent of SS. Giacomo e Filippo in Bologna (1738) and the *Costituzioni* for the Augustinian of S. Elena in Bologna (1746). His most important works, however, remain in manuscript in the Roman General Archive: the *Monumenti per la causa del servo di Dio V. ANTONIO, POETA. Zaccaria* (1750) and the *Relazione e Lettere* concerning the journeys and missions of the Barnabites in the Empire of China and the kingdoms of Ava and Pegù.
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PREMONSTRATENSIANS. – Canons Regular who take their name from Prémontré (diocese of Soissons), where in 1120 they were founded by St Norbert of Xanten (q.v.) according to the Rule of St Augustine. Emerging from the movement of apostolic poverty among itinerant preachers and the Gregorian canonical reform, the Premonstratensians soon constituted—distinct from other Canons Regular—a separate Order.
I. HISTORY. – In 1126 they received apostolic confirmation. For the formation of observance and organization, the Cistercians served as a model, especially after, under the blessed Hugh of Fosses (d. c. 1164), successor to St Norbert (elevated in 1126 to the archiepiscopal see of Magdeburg), the customs, liturgy, and organization of the Order were definitively established in their essentials. The abbot of Prémontré became abbot general; relations among the monasteries were based on the principle of filiation; supreme authority rested with the General Chapter. The abbots of S. Martino (Laon), Floreffe, and Cuissy enjoyed prerogatives as *patres Ordinis*. Attempts at centralization from the motherhouse were resisted by the monasteries of Saxony, centered on Magdeburg; their prelates retained the title of provost and, from 1239 onward, sent a representative to the General Chapter only every three years.
Unlike the Cistercians, the Premonstratensians from the outset had female convents, indeed double monasteries; however, from 1140 these were relocated to distant regions. Favored by feudal lords and bishops zealous for reform, the Order spread rapidly, especially in France and the Empire; in union with the missionary movement and the Crusades, the Premonstratensians extended into Eastern Europe and even to the Holy Land. East of the Elbe, they also carried out a major mission of colonization. To an initial life of solitude was soon joined the cura animarum, exercised first in the countryside, which led to an increase in property and the formation of a system of incorporated parishes. The Premonstratensians later also supplied cathedral chapters and episcopal sees in the territories of German colonization (Brandenburg, Havelberg, Ratzeburg, Riga).
The 12th and 13th centuries were the Order’s most flourishing period, distinguished by strict observance, works of charity and preaching, personal holiness, mystical devotion, and notable intellectual life. Representatives of this era include the blessed Godfrey of Capenberge (d. 1127), Gilbert of Neuffontaines (d. 1152), Evermode (d. 1174), Frederick of Mariengaarde (d. 1175), Isfrid (d. 1204), Herman Joseph (d. 1241), Bronislava (d. 1252), and Gertrude of Altenberg (d. 1277); the writers Anselm of Havelberg (d. 1158), Philip of Harvengt (d. 1183), Adam Scotus (d. 1212), and Zacharias Chrysopolitanus (12th c.). In Paris in 1252, the Order opened a college of studies. In 1320, districts called *Circaries* were established to facilitate regular visitation.
In the late Middle Ages, the Premonstratensians also experienced a period of decline, yet in the 15th century reform efforts were not lacking. Commendatory abbacies long hindered recovery, especially at the motherhouse; in the northern countries the Order fell victim to the Protestant Reformation, while in Italy, Greece, and the Holy Land it died out entirely. After the Council of Trent, however, a new reform took place. Between 1628 and 1631, new statutes were issued; monasteries and churches were restored in the splendor of Baroque art; colleges of studies arose in Salamanca (1568), Louvain (1571), Pont-à-Mousson (1603), Cologne (1617), Rome (1618), and Prague (1637). During the Reformation, the Spanish Premonstratensians and the *Congregatio Forensis* and *Antiqui Rigorosi* sought to detach themselves from common observance. In 1750, Benedict XIV reconfirmed the Premonstratensians’ privilege of parishes, and in 1751 the Third Order of Premonstratensians assumed an organized form.
Notable figures of this period include: among the martyrs of Gorkum, Adrian Beken and James Lacoupe; Nicholas Pseaume (d. 1575), bishop of Verdun and zealous promoter of the Tridentine Reform; the adjunct C. van der Sterre (d. 1652); the Order’s historians J. Lepaigne (d. 1650) and Ch. L. Hugo (d. 1739); the theologian G. Hirnheim (d. 1679); the writers L. Goffredo (d. 1719) and G. Lienhardt (d. 1783). The Premonstratensians published vol. 53 of the *Acta Sanctorum* in Tongerloo. The French Revolution and the secularizations in Austria, Germany, Poland, and Spain inflicted grievous damage upon the Order, which thus lost its organizational cohesion. Yet the 19th century saw a new revival, particularly fruitful in Belgium, while external organization was chiefly due to the efforts of the Premonstratensians in Bohemia and Austria (1869–83). In 1937, the abbot general established his residence in Rome, and the latest revision of the statutes was completed in 1947. The habit of the Premonstratensians is of white wool.
**Spirituality.** – The Premonstratensians unite contemplative life with the active ministry of pastoral care; their spirituality thus manifests a practical tendency, drawing on liturgy, Holy Scripture, and priestly experience. Fundamental ideas include the imitation of Christ in poverty, charity, and hospitality; devotion to the Cross, the Eucharist, and Mary is also emphasized.
**Liturgy.** – In the 12th century, the Premonstratensians used the Roman rite (renewed) with Cistercian and Cluniac elements, which influenced the liturgy of the Dominicans; between 1618 and 1622, the Roman liturgy was largely adopted.
IV. ORGANIZATION. – An abbot general, elected for life, with definitor abbots and four assistants of the abbot general. The General Chapter meets every six years. There are about 1,500 professed members in the Circaries (Austrian, Brabant, Bohemian, French, Hungarian) and in new foundations in the United States and Germany; there are seven monasteries of the Second Order. At the head of the Circaries are vicars general. The Order also has missions in the Belgian Congo, India, Brazil, and Denmark. Various forms of apostolate include the reparatory Mass, the Eucharistic Crusade, and the mission of mobile chapels among the German diaspora. – *See* pl. CXXXII.