THE'ATINES. A Roman Catholic religious community, which played, nett to the Jesuits. the most important part in the movement for reform from within the Church in the sixteenth century. Its founders were Saint Cajetan (Gae tano da Tiene) and Giovanni Pietro Caraffa, at that time Bishop of Chieti, from the Latin title of whose see, Tin-ate, the Order took its name. With two other friends, they obtained a brief of Clement VII.. dated .Tune 24. 1524. formally con stituting the new brotherhood, with the three usual vows, and with the privilege of electing their superior, who was to hold office for three years. They were all to be priests. Their first convent was opened in Rome, and Caraffa was chosen as superior. Ile was succeeded in 1527 by Cajetan, and the congregation began to ex tend to the provinces. After a time, however, it was thought advisable to unite it with the somewhat analogous Order of the Somaschians (q.v.) ; but this union was not of long con
tinuance, Caraffa, who was elected Pope, under the name of Paul IV., having restored the orig inal constitution in 1555. By degrees, the The atines extended themselves, first over Italy, and afterwards into Spain, Poland, and Germany, especially Bavaria. They did not find an en trance into France till the following century, when a house was founded in Paris under Cardi nal Alazarin in 1644. To their activity and zeal Ranke ascribes much of the success of the Counter-Refbrmation in the south of Europe. At the present time the Order numbers not more than one hundred members.
There is an Order of nuns bearing this name. It was founded in Naples, in 15S3, by Ursula Benincasa. It never spread out of Italy and has now only a few nunneries.