Abstract
In the 17th and 18th centuries in Bohemia and Moravia, the Capuchins were, by reason of the order's mission and spiritual nature, not only the recipients but also the providers of Christian charity, for which the term caritas is used in Latin. The immediate dependence of the Capuchins on the charitable donations which they received during the period under consideration was a major problem for the material security of the order's individual houses.
On the other hand, this link also had its positive side, as it was through it that the social networks of individual monasteries were established and maintained. The giving of alms was the most common form of interaction between the Order and the local population.
It was never a one-sided activity, since the Capuchins provided the latter with a variety of gifts and services in return. On the contrary, in the provision of caritas by the Capuchins themselves it is necessary to emphasize the commitment of the Order during outbreaks of plague and its members' service as chaplains in urban hospitals and prisons.