HIERONYMITES, a common name for certain congrega tions of hermits living according to the rule of St. Augustine with supplementary regulations taken from St. Jerome's writings. The most important of these were the Spanish Hieronymites, established near Toledo in 13 74. They possessed some of the most famous monasteries in the Peninsula, including the royal monas tery of Belem near Lisbon, and the magnificent monastery built by Philip II. at the Escurial. Though the manner of life was very austere the Hieronymites devoted themselves to studies and to the active work of the ministry, and they possessed great influence both at the Spanish and the Portuguese courts. The order decayed during the 18th century and was suppressed in Information on this and the other orders called by the same name will be found in Max Heimbucher, Orden and Kongregationen, 1896, i. § 70; article "Hieronymiten" in Herzog-Hauck, Realencyklopadie; article "Hieronymites" in the Catholic Encyclopaedia.