Saint John of Matha

John of Matha was born in Provence around 1160 and studied theology in Paris, where he was ordained. According to tradition, at his first Mass he had a vision of Christ holding two captives by the hand, one Christian and one Moor, and he understood that God was calling him to free prisoners. In 1198 Pope Innocent III approved his Order of the Most Holy Trinity, whose friars collected alms and traveled to North Africa to buy back captives. He died in Rome on December 17, 1213.

The Trinitarians wear a white habit with a red and blue cross, recalling his vision. In 1580 Trinitarian friars ransomed the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes from captivity in Algiers.