Sometimes when the weather gets cold, sometimes when we start the day, there are things we need. When we are cold, the hoodies we put on warm us up, on the other hand, sometimes when we wake up in the morning, we drink it to wake up, sometimes to relax, and sometimes just because we love it; a glass of cappuccino.
So what exactly is it from life? Would you be surprised if I said that the origin of these two words, which we never think about in our daily lives and which we can assume have little to do with each other, is the clothes worn by the Kapun priests and the color of this clothes? So we need to go back many years.
When we look at the historical background , the Capuchin friars are a branch of the Franciscan order founded in Italy in 1525 by Matteo da Bascio and strictly adhering to the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi. The term "Cappuccino", which is the origin of the name of the Capuchin friars, means "pointed chimney" in Italian. These friars adopted the simplest and most modest life possible. Both friars and monasteries were not allowed to own property. They were also required not to stock up on food for more than a few days and to rely on begging and charity to meet their needs. The Capuchin friars focused largely on missionary and preaching and believed that they were spreading the word of God while traveling.
They have been active in Ottoman lands, especially in large cities such as Istanbul, Izmir and Bursa, since the 16th century. They fulfilled their religious duties by establishing churches and monasteries in these regions. Kapun priests carried out missionary activities with the aim of spreading and strengthening the Catholic faith. They worked actively in regions where the Christian population was dense in Ottoman lands.
They gave great importance to education and health services in particular. They helped the poor, opened schools and provided medical services. These services made them respected by the local people. Kapun priests played an important role in diplomatic relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Vatican. These priests mediated diplomatic missions and strengthened cultural-religious dialogue.
The Ottoman administration occasionally showed a tolerant attitude towards the Kapun priests and other missionaries, allowing their activities. However, there were tensions between the Ottoman administration and the priests at certain periods.
One of the most notable buildings of the Capuchin friars is the church of Santa Maria della Concezione in Rome. The walls of this church are decorated with the bones of over 4,000 Capuchin friars. Completely preserved skeletons are also placed throughout the church. Visitors to the church are impressed by the elaborate nature of the decoration and the eerie atmosphere of the church.
It may seem strange to decorate churches with bones, but the practice is also seen in other parts of the world. Some churches in Europe were heavily decorated with the bones of deceased clergy and parishioners. These decorations reflected the nature of death, allowing people to reflect on their limited time on earth and to make promises to do better. For the Capuchin monks, visiting such a church was seen as an opportunity to reflect on one's life and to move towards a more virtuous life.
Source
Hamilton, Bernard. The Latin Church in the Crusader States: The Secular Church . Ashgate Publishing, 1980.
Harris, Jonathan. The End of Byzantium . Yale University Press, 2010.
Kafadar, Cemal. Between Two Worlds: The Construction of the Ottoman State . University of California Press, 1995.
Setton, Kenneth M. The Papacy and the Levant (1204-1571) . American Philosophical Society, 1976.
Masters, Bruce. Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Arab World: The Roots of Sectarianism . Cambridge University Press, 2001.
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