John of Ruusbroec

Jan van Ruysbroeck [b. 1293 or 1294, d. 1381] was a Flemish mystic. He led a life of austerity, eventually founding a congregation in Groenendaal. His writings were widely circulated in his lifetime and he influenced an entire generation of Christian mystics. He was beatified on December 1st, 1908, by Pope St. Pius X.