St. Benedict

1. Nursia

St. Benedict, recognized as the father of western monasticism and honored as Patron of Europe in 1964 by Pope Paul VI, was born around 480 A.D. in the mountainous town of Nursia, in central Italy.

2. Subiaco

Having been sent to study in Rome, he became dissatisfied with his life and chose to reject the materialism and turmoil he found all around him. He withdrew to the wild Italian hill country, where he lived an ascetical life, originally by himself, then as the spiritual father, or abbot, of a monastery at Subiaco.

xCAVEiia_2

xHISTORYsubiacobh1

xHISTORYmontecassino

3. Monte Cassino

After gaining a great deal of experience in directing the affairs of a community, he journeyed to Monte Cassino with some of his followers and there established his greatest monastery.

xRB80closediia_4

4. The Rule

Benedict remained at Monte Cassino until his death about 547 A.D. There he wrote his Rule, which has generally been considered the most influential document in the shaping of western monasticism.