Benedict, St
Benedict, St (c.480–c.550). Christian monastic leader. Little is known of his life. He withdrew from the world to live in a cave at Subiaco in c.500, where a community grew up around him. He moved with a small number of monks c.525 to Monte Cassino, where he remained and composed his Rule—although he does not seem to have intended to found an order. Feast day in W., 11 July; in E., 14 Mar.
The Rule of St Benedict is a fundamental rule of W. Christian monasticism. The opening chapters seem to have been based on the anonymous Rule of the Master emanating from a smaller monastery in SE Italy; Basil, Pachomius, and Augustine were also influential. It consists of seventy-three terse chapters, dealing with both spiritual matters and questions of organization, liturgy, and discipline. Stability and obedience are paramount.
The Rule of St Benedict is a fundamental rule of W. Christian monasticism. The opening chapters seem to have been based on the anonymous Rule of the Master emanating from a smaller monastery in SE Italy; Basil, Pachomius, and Augustine were also influential. It consists of seventy-three terse chapters, dealing with both spiritual matters and questions of organization, liturgy, and discipline. Stability and obedience are paramount.
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Benedict, St
