Benedictines

Benedictines religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, following the rule of St. Benedict [Lat. abbr.,=O.S.B.]. The first Benedictine monastery was at Monte Cassino , Italy, which came to be regarded as the symbolic center of Western monasticism . St. Benedict's rule was in many ways novel in monastic life in replacing severity with moderation. The monastery, or abbey , was conceived as a devout Christian family, with an abbot or abbess as head. The monks or nuns swore to live in the house until death. The whole of Benedictine life was experienced in common, the waking hours being devoted principally to worship and work, especially manual labor. In the 8th cent. the English Benedictines St. Willibrord and St. Boniface evangelized Frisia and Germany; in this expansion of Christendom the abbey served as an outpost, a unit of both Latin culture (including Western agricultural methods) and Christian religion. The Benedictines were also active in continental Western Europe—their preservation of books was a critical service. At a series of councils held under Louis I at Aachen (AD 816-AD 819), Benedict of Aniane attempted to standardize monastic practices in the Carolingian Empire according to the Rule of St. Benedict. In the 10th cent. a reform began at the Benedictine abbey of Cluny, France, that resulted in the development of the Cluniac order ; at Cluny the liturgy was significantly expanded. Another reform, begun in 1098, resulted in the foundation of the order of the Cistercians . Throughout the centuries Benedictine houses have occupied a central position in Western monasticism. Today they are organized as a loose federation of congregations, each congregation being a collection of geographically related abbeys or monasteries that are mainly autonomous. Benedictine work in liturgy has been outstanding. The abbeys at Solesmes and Beuron in particular have established a spiritual life centered around sung liturgy. They are responsible for the restoration of Gregorian melodies (plain chant) and their universal use today in the Roman Catholic Church. Permanent Benedictine establishments in the United States began in the 1840s. Benedictine nuns, originally founded by St. Benedict and his sister Scholastica as an enclosed order, now often do missionary and educational work in communities.

Bibliography: See E. C. Butler, Benedictine Monachism (2d ed. 1924, repr. 1962); C. H. Lawrence, Medieval Monasticism (1984).

Benedictines Monks and nuns of the monastic Order of Saint Benedict, who follow the Rule laid down by Saint Benedict (of Nursia) in the 6th century. The order played a leading role in bringing Christianity and civilization to Western Europe in the 7th century and in preserving the traditions of Christianity throughout the medieval period. During the Reformation most Benedictine monasteries and nunneries in Europe were suppressed. The order revived in France and Germany during the 17th century. Benedictine monks and nuns returned to England in the late 19th century and the Benedictine Order spread to North and South America. See also monasticism

Benedictines The monastic order of St Benedict of Nursia (c.480–c.550) had its origins at Monte Cassino, south of Rome, where c.540 Benedict drew up a rule. This codification became dominant, until challenged by the rule of St Augustine in the 11th cent. One of its chief strengths was its adaptability, and many interpretations were introduced. The first Benedictine abbeys in England were probably those founded by Wilfrid of York at Ripon and Hexham at the end of the 7th cent. Thereafter the order spread rapidly. The Viking raids of the 9th cent. severely affected most Benedictine houses, some of which were destroyed; others were refounded, and some new ones established in the mid‐10th cent. under the influence of Æthelwold, bishop of Winchester, Archbishop Dunstan of Canterbury, and Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, all themselves monks. Following the Norman Conquest some abbeys lost land, but most soon recovered under new, Norman abbots, and new abbeys were founded. There was also an increase in the number of Benedictine nunneries, though the most prestigious were Anglo‐Saxon foundations like Shaftesbury or Wilton.

The Benedictines were challenged by the rising appeal to lay society of new orders, like the Cistercians and the Augustinians, and the friars who presented a new spirituality. By the 16th cent. the number of Benedictine monks had declined and their dynamic had largely been lost.