RUUSBROEC, JAN VAN

(1293–1381)

Mystic who once served as a priest at St. Gudele Church in Brussels. Ruusbroec withdrew with some like-minded people to Groenendaal (near Brussels), where they lived as an irregular religiouscommunity. In 1350, they accepted the rules of the monastic order of St. Augustine. Influenced by some 12th-century women mystics, such as Hadewijch and Beatrijs (1200–1266), Ruusbroec wrote his spiritual treatises in the vernacu lar. He became a model for Geert Groote and his community near Zwolle. Ruusbroec’s works have been translated into French, Latin, and English.