Hindiyya al-'Ujaimi
Encyclopedia
Hindiyya (other spellings: Anna 'Adjaymi, or Ajjeymi, Ajami, also known as the Hindiyé, or Hendiye, i.e. the Indian
) was a Maronite mystic
nun
which claimed to have many visions of Jesus and Mary
. She was a central figure in the history of the Maronite Church
in the 18th century. Hindiyya founded in 1750 the controversial religious order
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was dissolved by order of pope Pius VI
in 1779.
to Shukrallah Ujaimi and mother Helene Hawwa both devout Maronite Christians. Similar to other Maronite Christians of the time the Ujaimi’s were merchants who were getting increasingly wealthy due to commercial treaties signed between European powers and the Ottoman’s during 1675. Hindiyya had a brother named Nicholas and sisters although the exact number of siblings is unclear.
Hindiyya studied under the Jesuits which encouraged her in developing her spirituality and supported her by sharing stories of other young women who had chosen a religious life over the secular path. Hindiyya in turn embraced many Roman Catholic devotions, as the frequent auricular Confession
. The support from the Jesuits lasted until 1748.
She moved from Aleppo to Berke
, Lebanon
, where on March 25, 1750 he founded her own religious order
entitled to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Western devotion she imported among the Maronites and that made forthwith success. She claimed to have visions of Christ, to make miracles, to speak with Christ in mystical unions and to be united with the Trinity
in a unique way. She soon became considered as a living saint and almost a object of veneration.
The majority of the Maronte clergy, as well as the Patriarch Simon Awad
, and later the following patriarchs Tobias El Khazen
and Joseph Estephan
firmly supported Hindiyya, while on the contrary the Jesuits, as well as some Maronites, became more and more mistrustful of her doctrine and personal cult. In 1752 Pope Benedict XIV
ordered the first inspection, carried out by a Franciscan
, Desiderio da Casabasciana, who, initially hostile, became himself a supporter of Hindiyya.
The case of Hindiyya made a comeback under the patriarchate of Joseph Estephan, also because the Patriarch was so fond of the devotion imported by Hindiyya that he made the Sacred Heart
a holy day of obligation
for the Maronites. New inspections were carried out, by Valeriano di Prato, Custodian of the Holy Land
, in 1773 and finally by Pietro Craveri of Moretta in 1775 who took a stand against the doctrines of Hindiyya. The affair of Hindiyya combined with the opposition to Joseph Estephan by the Khazen
Sheikh
es and by the bishops Michael El Khazen and Michael Fadel
. Finally in 1779 Pope Pius VI
issued a decree stating that Hindiyya is deluded and her revelations and doctrines false. Moreover the Pope abolished her Order of Sacred Heart and he suspended the Patriarch Joseph Estephan from all functions appointing Michael El Khazen as Vicar.
Patriarch Joseph Estephan was restored in power only in 1784, while Hindiyya lived the rest of her life as a confined nun in various convents and her works were proscribed. She died on February 13, 1798 in the convent of Our Lady of the Fields.
judges the souls of deaths, that she is infallible, that many verses of the Bible
refer to her, that she is greater than Mary
, that because of her union with Christ she is to be whorshipped. Hindiyya was charged also of many illicit liturgical behaviors, as to take the Communion when she wants, not to fast, to claim spiritual jurisdictional and even to confess.
and it was censored by Propaganda Fide in 1838 and definitely suppressed in 1849.
Indian people
Indian people or Indisians constitute the Asian nation and pan-ethnic group native to India, which forms the south of Asia, containing 17.31% of the world's population. The Indian nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the rich and complex history of India...
) was a Maronite mystic
Christian mysticism
Christian mysticism refers to the development of mystical practices and theory within Christianity. It has often been connected to mystical theology, especially in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
which claimed to have many visions of Jesus and Mary
Visions of Jesus and Mary
Since the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Calvary until today, a number of people have claimed to have had visions of Christ and personal conversations with him. Some people make similar claims regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. Discussions about the authenticity of these visions have often invited...
. She was a central figure in the history of the Maronite Church
Maronite Church
The Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome . It traces its heritage back to the community founded by Maron, a 4th-century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. The first Maronite Patriarch, John Maron, was elected in the late 7th...
in the 18th century. Hindiyya founded in 1750 the controversial religious order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was dissolved by order of pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI , born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, was Pope from 1775 to 1799.-Early years:Braschi was born in Cesena...
in 1779.
Life
Hindiyya was born on August 6, 1720 in AleppoAleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
to Shukrallah Ujaimi and mother Helene Hawwa both devout Maronite Christians. Similar to other Maronite Christians of the time the Ujaimi’s were merchants who were getting increasingly wealthy due to commercial treaties signed between European powers and the Ottoman’s during 1675. Hindiyya had a brother named Nicholas and sisters although the exact number of siblings is unclear.
Hindiyya studied under the Jesuits which encouraged her in developing her spirituality and supported her by sharing stories of other young women who had chosen a religious life over the secular path. Hindiyya in turn embraced many Roman Catholic devotions, as the frequent auricular Confession
Sacrament of Penance (Catholic Church)
In the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is the method by which individual men and women may be freed from sins committed after receiving the sacrament of Baptism...
. The support from the Jesuits lasted until 1748.
She moved from Aleppo to Berke
Berke
Berke Khan was the ruler of the Golden Horde who effectively consolidated the power of the Blue Horde and White Hordes from 1257 to 1266. He succeeded his brother Batu Khan of the Blue Horde and was responsible for the first official establishment of Islam in a khanate of the Mongol Empire...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, where on March 25, 1750 he founded her own religious order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
entitled to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Western devotion she imported among the Maronites and that made forthwith success. She claimed to have visions of Christ, to make miracles, to speak with Christ in mystical unions and to be united with the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
in a unique way. She soon became considered as a living saint and almost a object of veneration.
The majority of the Maronte clergy, as well as the Patriarch Simon Awad
Simon Awad
Simon VII Awad , 1683–1756, was the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch from 1743 to his death in 1756.-Life:Simon Awad was born in 1683 in Hasroun, Lebanon...
, and later the following patriarchs Tobias El Khazen
Tobias El Khazen
Tobias El Khazen was the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch from 1756 to his death in 1766.-Life:Tobias El Khazen was a member of the Abu Nawfal branch of the Khazen family, which ruled the Keserwan District, and he was a nephew of Patriarch Joseph Dergham El Khazen...
and Joseph Estephan
Joseph Estephan
Joseph VI Estephan , , was the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch from 1766 until his death in 1793.-Life:...
firmly supported Hindiyya, while on the contrary the Jesuits, as well as some Maronites, became more and more mistrustful of her doctrine and personal cult. In 1752 Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV , born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was Pope from 17 August 1740 to 3 May 1758.-Life:...
ordered the first inspection, carried out by a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
, Desiderio da Casabasciana, who, initially hostile, became himself a supporter of Hindiyya.
The case of Hindiyya made a comeback under the patriarchate of Joseph Estephan, also because the Patriarch was so fond of the devotion imported by Hindiyya that he made the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart
The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
a holy day of obligation
Holy Day of Obligation
In the Catholic Church, Holy Days of Obligation or Holidays of Obligation, less commonly called Feasts of Precept, are the days on which, as of the Code of Canon Law states,-Eastern Catholic Churches:...
for the Maronites. New inspections were carried out, by Valeriano di Prato, Custodian of the Holy Land
Custodian of the Holy Land
The Custodian of the Holy Land is an officer of the Franciscan order, appointed by the General Definitorium of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, with the approval of the Vatican. The Custodian, or Custos, is the head of all Franciscans in the Holy Land...
, in 1773 and finally by Pietro Craveri of Moretta in 1775 who took a stand against the doctrines of Hindiyya. The affair of Hindiyya combined with the opposition to Joseph Estephan by the Khazen
Khazen
Khazen is the name of a prominent Noble Levantine family based in Keserwan District, Lebanon, Damascus, Syria, Nablus, Palestine as well as other distrits around the Levant. The Khazen family have traced their lineage through DNA testing to Jericho, Palestine also known as Tell el-Sultan 8500 B.C....
Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
es and by the bishops Michael El Khazen and Michael Fadel
Michael Fadel
Michael II Fadel , , was the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch from 1793 to his death in 1795.-Life:Michael Fadel was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1710. Ordained priest at 21 years, from 1741 to 1753 he served the community of Acre where he erected a church. In 1754 he converted to Christianity the fist...
. Finally in 1779 Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI , born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, was Pope from 1775 to 1799.-Early years:Braschi was born in Cesena...
issued a decree stating that Hindiyya is deluded and her revelations and doctrines false. Moreover the Pope abolished her Order of Sacred Heart and he suspended the Patriarch Joseph Estephan from all functions appointing Michael El Khazen as Vicar.
Patriarch Joseph Estephan was restored in power only in 1784, while Hindiyya lived the rest of her life as a confined nun in various convents and her works were proscribed. She died on February 13, 1798 in the convent of Our Lady of the Fields.
Personality
Hindiyya was different from young women her age and was often ridiculed for her decision to abstain from acts she deemed “materialistic” but were considered social norms. She believed she was created to dedicate her life to Christ and spoke to religious figures of visions she had of Christ in which he instructed her to establish a confraternity: “at the age of four or five I would feel in the heart a clear voice telling me that I will establish a confraternity of men and women and that I will be its president, that is its founder…”. As a young woman Hindiyya was sought out by young men and women who admired her devotion, this turned into ridicule once she became of marriageable age and refused to marry. Her decision to remain single and devout her life to Christ was an explicit rejection of social boundaries adhered to by young women her age and displayed how dedicated she was to her goals.Role of Women
The measures she took in an effort to worship Christ and strengthen her relationship were often ridiculed by her mother, siblings, and neighbors who felt she was depriving herself. Her behavior was antisocial and viewed as extreme, she refrained from speaking to her father on a particular instance claiming, “Our Lord Jesus Christ said that whosoever does not leave his father and mother…will not deserve my love ”. Her decision to avoid socializing and participating in social rituals expected of young women her age was seen as rebellious and she was the victim of tremendous ridicule. She was determined to act on the visions she had as a young girl, she sought to establish a confraternity and was determined to surpass the gender roles assigned to women by religious figures.Doctrine
During the inspections to her Congregation held in the 1770s, Hindiyya was charged of many heterodox doctrines in comparison with the Maronite historical doctrine, for example her claims that she was united with Christ in a hypostatic, real and not accidental union, that her knowledge is more perfect than that of the angels, that it is by her that JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
judges the souls of deaths, that she is infallible, that many verses of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
refer to her, that she is greater than Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, that because of her union with Christ she is to be whorshipped. Hindiyya was charged also of many illicit liturgical behaviors, as to take the Communion when she wants, not to fast, to claim spiritual jurisdictional and even to confess.
Influence
Hindiyya's figure and spirituality had a large influence on a similar sect, the Worshippers of the Sacred Heart, based in Aleppo and developed a few years later, which was founded by Margaret Baptist and supported by a French priest, Nicholas Gaudez. This sect was opposed by the Melkite Patriarch Maximos III MazloumMaximos III Mazloum
Maximos III Michael Mazloum, was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1833 until 1855. As patriarch he reformed church administration and bolstered clerical education...
and it was censored by Propaganda Fide in 1838 and definitely suppressed in 1849.