Alanus de Rupe

Alan de la Roche OP (Ecclesiastical Latin: Alanus de Rupe; French: Alain c. 1428 – 8 September 1475)^[2] was a Breton-born priest and Dominican friar and priest, mystic and theologian. Some writers claim him as a native of Germany, others of Belgium; but his disciple, Cornelius Sneek, says that he was born in Brittany. He died at Zwolle.^[3] He is especially notable for his contributions to the Catholic devotion of the Rosary: According to tradition, the devotion to the Holy Rosary had been neglected and forgotten in most of Europe in the centuries after Saint Dominic established it,^[4] and Alan is credited with re-establishing the devotion.^[5]

Blessed Alan de la Roche OP
Print depicting the mystical marriage of Alan to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Apostle of the Rosary
Born	1428 Dinan, Brittany
Died	8 September 1475 (aged 46–47) Zwolle, Netherlands
Venerated in	Catholic Church
Feast	8 September (Traditional Dominican calendar)[1]
Attributes	The Rosary, Banner of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary

Woodblock in the Alanus Psalter, 1492

Life

Born in Dinan, Brittany in around 1428, he entered the Dominican Order in 1459 at age thirty-one. While pursuing his studies at Saint Jacques, Paris, he distinguished himself in philosophy and theology. From 1459 to 1475 he taught almost uninterruptedly at Paris, Lille, Douay, Ghent, and Rostock in Germany, where, in 1473, he was made Master of Sacred Theology. During his sixteen years of teaching he became a most renowned preacher. He was indefatigable in what he regarded as his special mission, the preaching and re-establishment of the Rosary, which he did with success throughout northern France, Flanders, and the Netherlands.^[6] He established a Confraternity of the Psalter of the Glorious Virgin Mary, around 1470 which was instrumental in disseminating the rosary throughout Europe.^[7][8]

Alanus published nothing during his lifetime, but immediately after his death the brethren of his province were commanded to collect his writings for publication. These were edited at different times and have occasioned some controversy among scholars.^[6] A list of writings attributed to Alanus was compiled by J. G. T. Graesse in Trésor des livres rares et précieux (1859).^[9]

Alanus on Dominic and the Rosary

According to an old Dominican tradition, in the early 13th century, Dominic de Guzmán was distressed at his lack of success in his preaching against the Albigensians and prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. She reportedly appeared to him and told him to use her psalter in conjunction with his preaching. This psalter, a custom of praying 150 Hail Marys rather than Psalms, developed into the Rosary.

This traditional origin for the Rosary was generally accepted, including by many popes^[10] and figures such as Louis De Montfort,^[11] until the 17th century, when Bollandists concluded that the account originated with Alanus, writing over two hundred years after Dominic's life. Alanus attributed his descriptions of Dominic to a 1460 vision; later authors have suggested that he may have invented them to enliven sermons. John T. McNicholas, a Catholic bishop, held that Alanus's accounts should not be regarded as historical.^[6] Herbert Thurston, while describing Alanus as pious and earnest, argued that he was full of delusions and that his revelations were based on the imaginary testimony of nonexistent writers.^[12][13] Although historical evidence for Dominic's role in the origin of the Rosary is lacking and has been questioned by scholars such as the Bollandists, several popes after the 17th century, including Pope Leo XIII^[14][15][16] and Pope Pius XI,^[17] continued to attribute its origin to Dominic in official documents such as encyclicals.^[10]

Fifteen Rosary promises

See also: Fifteen Rosary promises

According to Alanus, Mary made fifteen specific promises through Dominic de Guzmán to those who faithfully pray the Rosary. The fifteen Rosary promises range from protection from misfortune to meriting a high degree of glory in heaven.^[18][19]