Biography

Constantine of Barbanson was born in Belgium in 1581 (or 1582). His hometown was in the province of Hainaut near the border of France. He joined the Capuchin Order as a friar. He and his fellow members would live out the teaching of Jesus and exemplified by St. Francis of Assisi. Eventually Constantine was ordained as a Priest and was assigned to Capuchin province in the Rhineland. It was there that he gained the respect and admiration of others in the way lived out his spiritual beliefs. He was forerunner of Christian mysticism. His insights and practices gained him the reputation of a great mystic theologian. Among other works authored by Constantine is The Secret Paths of Divine Love (1623) which is still widely read. Constantine died in Bonn in 1631.

Wailand Groenendyk
CCEL Staff Writer