The Order of Servants of Mary is the only Religious Institute for men in the Catholic Church founded not by one or two men but by a group of Seven Holy Founders in the first half of the 13^th Century. These seven laymen from Florence, who founded the Order were canonized by Leo XIII on the 15^th of January 1888. The Order of Servants of Mary is one of the seventeen mendicant religious Orders. At present there are around thousand members in the Order. Servite friars are present in more than thirty countries.

Let us have a look at the history of the Order of Servants of Mary from its Origin, dividing it into four periods.

1. FROM THE ORIGIN (1233) TO THE PONTIFICAL APPROVAL (1304)

2. FROM THE PONTIFICAL APPROVAL 1304 TO 1500

3. FROM 1500 TO THE CANONIZATION OF THE SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS 1888

4. FROM THE CANONIZATION OF THE SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS 1888 TO 2000...