PREMONSTRATENSIANS, or NOR BERTINES, a religious order, founded by Norbert, canon of Xanten in Cleves, who on account of his zeal as archbishop of Magde burg in 1127 was canonized. In the forest of Saint Gobain, in a meadow pointed out to him, as he said, by Heaven (premontre, pratum mon stratum; thence the name of the order), he col lected his first disciples (1120). The original establishment was built by the bishop of Laon. It contained 40 members who wore the white habit and cloak of canons regular and lived, according to the rule of Saint Augustine, a strict conventual life. In 1125 they were for mally approved by Pope Honorius II. The order is composed of three classes: (1) priests and clerics under an abbot or provost; (2) nuns who embrace the rule of Saint Norbert; (3) lay members. Their order increased rapidly; several nunneries were established with the same rigid rules. The abbot of the original monastery Premontre, near Coucy, was general, and with three other abbots formed the great council of the fathers of the order. The order was introduced into England in 1143 at New house in Lincolnshire and its members were there regularly known as the White Canons. Some time before, in 1125, King David of Scot land had brought a colony to his kingdom. Be fore the Reformation they are said to have had 1,300 monasteries, among which were 500 nun neries, mostly in Germany, the Netherlands, France, England and the north of Europe; but the Reformation diminished this number by more than one-half in the 16th century. In the 18th century the order lost many of its houses as a result of the French Revolution and at the end of the century there were only 27 houses in existence. It now consists of eight houses in Holland and Belgium, seven in Austria, two in Hungary, three in England, one in the United States and one in Canada. There are also eleven nunneries in Holland, Belgium, Spain, Austrian and Russian Poland, Switzer land and Bohemia. Some of these monasteries have founded priories in Brazil to which col leges are attached, others are doing mission ary work in the Belgian Congo and in Mada gascar. The entire order is divided into five
circaries. At its head is a superior-general, the most recent one being Norbert Schachinger, abbot of Schlage, one of the Austrian monas teries of the order.' In 1913 the membership of the order was made up of one bishop, 17 vicars, one apostolic praefect, 789 priests, 129 scholastics, 51 novices, 91 lay brothers and three lay novices. In modem times the order has become very active in teaching boys in high schools and academies. It possesses a college for its own members at Budapest and one at Rome, the head of the latter being the procura tor of the order. The provincial house of the Premonstratensians in the United States was founded at West De Pere Wis., by fathers from the abbey of Heeswijk, Holland. The very Rev. B. H. Pennings, 0. Praem., is the present prior. The fathers conduct missions in the archdiocese of Chicago and the dioceses of Green Bay, Grand Rapids, Marquette and Hel ena, as well as a flourishing classical and com mercial college. The membership in 1918 con sisted of 28 clerics, six scholastics, four novices and four lay brothers. Consult 'Statuta Sacri et Canonici Prxmonstratensis Ordinis, Reno vata Jussu Regis Christianissimi, et Auctoritate Capituli Nationalis, Anni 1770> (Paris 1773); Currier, (History of Religious Orders) (New York 1894) ; Gasquet, Rev. F. A., 'The Eng lish Premonstratensians) (in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, n. s. Vol. XVII, p. 1, London 1903) • Grass!, B., 'Catalogus Gen eralis Totius Sacri Candidi, etc.) (Pilsen 1912) ; Heimbucher, M., 'Orden und Kongre gationen) (Paderborn 1907); Helyot, P. and M. Bullot, 'Histoire des Ordres Religieux) (Paris 1714-19) ; Kirkfleet, Rev. C. J., 'History of Saint Norbert) (Saint Louis 1916) ; Win ter, F., 'Die Praemonstratenser des 12 Jahr hunderts und ihre Bedeutung fin- das Nordost fiche Deutschland) (Berlin 1865).