Refers to Christian orders or communities of men or women following the Rule of St. Augustine, consisting of instructions for religious life written by the theologian Augustine, bishop of Hippo (354-430). The Rule places an emphasis on union with others in a common love of God. The earliest to follow the Rule were the Canons Regular, Augustinian (or Austin) Canons, approved 1059-63. Specifically, the term often refers to one of the two main Augustinian branches, the mendicant order known as the Augustinian Hermits. The Augustinian Hermits came about in 1256 when disparate orders of Italian hermits were united. The Premonstratensians and the Jeronymites are other notable orders that adopted the Rule. Augustinians have been responsible for many missions, monasteries, schools and well-known hospitals all over the world.

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