Peter Nolasco was a 13th-century friar and nobleman who founded the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy to ransom Christian captives. Born around 1180, possibly in Mas-Saintes-Puelles, he served as a tutor to King James I of Aragon after participating in military conflicts. He dedicated his life to freeing prisoners held by Moorish forces, eventually establishing a religious order with papal approval in 1235. He died in Barcelona in 1256 and was later canonized as a saint.
Life and work
After serving as a tutor to the young King James I, Nolasco focused on charitable works in Barcelona. He became deeply concerned with the fate of Christians captured during regional wars and sought to create a stable religious organization to assist them. He founded the Mercedarians, an order where members took a special vow to dedicate their resources and freedom to ransoming slaves, sometimes even serving as hostages themselves to secure the release of others.
Veneration and legacy
The Mercedarian Order expanded across Europe and later into the New World. Nolasco was canonized by Pope Urban VIII, and his feast day is observed on May 6, the date of his death. He remains included in the Roman Martyrology, and his religious order's mission of redemption left a lasting impact on the history of the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.