Which religious order was founded by St. Dominic in 1216?

The Dominican Order was the religious order founded by St. Dominic in the early thirteenth century and formally approved in 1216. Its official name is the Order of Preachers, or Ordo Praedicatorum, which explains why its members are known as Dominicans.

Dominic de Guzmán, a Castilian priest, established a preaching community at Toulouse in 1215. He wanted well-trained clergy who could explain Christian doctrine and challenge heretical movements through preaching, study, and disciplined religious life. Pope Honorius III approved the order on 22 December 1216.

Unlike a traditional monastic order centered mainly on one monastery, the Dominicans were a mendicant order. Friars traveled, taught, preached, and lived through communal support rather than private wealth. The order adopted the Rule of Saint Augustine and developed a strong intellectual tradition.

The Franciscan Order is the most common mix-up: it was founded by St. Francis of Assisi, not Dominic. The Augustinians and Carmelites are also different orders with separate origins. Dominicans later produced major theologians, including Thomas Aquinas, and became influential in medieval universities and the wider Catholic Church.