Benedict of Nursia
Benedict of Nursia (2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was an Italian monk and the founder of the Order of Saint Benedict. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old Catholic Churches. In 1964, Pope Paul VI declared Benedict a patron saint of Europe.
Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco in present-day Lazio, Italy (about 65 kilometres (40 mi) to the east of Rome), before moving southeast to Monte Cassino in the mountains of central Italy. The present-day Order of Saint Benedict emerged later and, moreover, is not an "order" as the term is commonly understood, but a confederation of autonomous congregations.
Benedict's main achievement, the Rule of Saint Benedict, contains a set of rules for his monks to follow. Heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian (c. 360 – c. 435), it shows strong affinity with the earlier Rule of the Master, but it also has a unique spirit of balance, moderation and reasonableness (ἐπιείκεια, epieíkeia), which persuaded most religious orders and communities founded throughout the Middle Ages to adopt it. As a result, Benedict's monastic rule became one of the most influential in Western Christendom. For this reason, Giuseppe Carletti regarded Benedict as the founder of Western Christian monasticism.
Patron saint of Against poison; Against curses; Agricultural workers; Cassino, Italy; Cavers; Civil engineers; Coppersmiths; Dying people; Erysipelas; Europe; Farmers; Fever; Gall stones; Heerdt, Germany; Heraldry and Officers of arms; the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest; Inflammatory diseases; Italian architects; Kidney disease; Monks; Nettle rash; Norcia, Italy; People in religious orders; San Beda University; Schoolchildren and students; Servants who have broken their master's belongings; Speleologists; Spelunkers; Subiaco, Lazio; Subiaco, Italy; Temptations; International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe
In the Martyrology
- March 21 Birth of Saint Benedict of Norcia, abbot
- July 11 Saint Benedict, abbot