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.