During the
Counter-Reformation, there was a special interest among the Augustinian friars in the
theological debates of the day, as well as a need to return to the roots of their way of life. In an effort to seek a more simple and spiritual life, various friars banded together and followed a pattern seen in other
mendicant orders, in which simplicity of dress and a stricter form of a life of
prayer and
penance were embraced. The Discalced Augustinians were formed in 1610 in Italy as a reform movement of the Order and have their own constitutions, differing from those of the other Augustinians. Among the Augustinians, there also was an effort to return to the
eremitical origins of their Order. Their fasts are more rigorous and their other ascetic practices stricter. As with the
Carmelite reform of the same period, these friars came to be known by their practice of wearing sandals, as opposed to shoes (thus the term
discalced or barefoot), in an effort to live more like the poor. This reform was approved by the 100th General
Chapter of the Augustinian friars, which was held during May 1592 at the
Friary of St. Augustine in
Rome,
motherhouse of the entire Order. The new branch which thus developed was approved by the
Vatican as a separate Order in 1610. Their current
motherhouse is in Rome. Discalced Augustinians take a special fourth vow of humility. As of 2018, there were about 220 friars, of which 144 were
priests, in 38 houses located in
Italy,
Brazil and the
Philippines. ==Nuns==