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38-701: Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire , near Orléans , France Benedict of Nursia ( Latin : Benedictus Nursiae ; Italian : Benedetto da Norcia ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict , was an Italian Catholic monk. 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

76-514: 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 further south-east 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, his Rule of Saint Benedict , contains

114-441: A Christocentric life on earth) and administrative (how to run a monastery efficiently). More than half of the chapters describe how to be obedient and humble, and what to do when a member of the community is not. About one-fourth regulate the work of God (the "opus Dei"). One-tenth outline how, and by whom, the monastery should be managed. Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation. This devotional medal originally came from

152-505: A conversation between the Pope and his deacon Peter, is designed to teach spiritual lessons. Benedict was the son of a Roman noble of Nursia , the modern Norcia , in Umbria . If 480 is accepted as the year of his birth, the year of his abandonment of his studies and leaving home would be about 500. Gregory's narrative makes it impossible to suppose him younger than 20 at the time. Benedict

190-464: A cross in honor of Saint Benedict. On one side, the medal has an image of Saint Benedict, holding the Holy Rule in his left hand and a cross in his right. There is a raven on one side of him, with a cup on the other side of him. Around the medal's outer margin are the words "Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur" ("May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death"). The other side of

228-508: A provincial calendar of saints is published in each province. In almost all of these, Saint Benedict is commemorated on 11 July. Benedict is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 11 July. Benedict wrote the Rule for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The Rule comprises seventy-three short chapters. Its wisdom is twofold: spiritual (how to live

266-475: A publicly funded mausoleum and memorial park was unveiled in the town to Rodolfo Graziani , a former resident of the area and convicted war criminal. The event was met with widespread criticism in the national and international media. A campaign has since been launched to rededicate the memorial to those who died as a result of Graziani’s actions during Italy’s colonial wars in Ethiopia and Libya as well as during

304-506: A result, Benedict's Rule became one of the most influential religious rules in Western Christendom . For this reason, Giuseppe Carletti regarded Benedict as the founder of Western Christian monasticism . Apart from a short poem attributed to Mark of Monte Cassino, the only ancient account of Benedict is found in the second volume of Pope Gregory I 's four-book Dialogues , thought to have been written in 593, although

342-526: 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 Christian religious communities founded throughout the Middle Ages to adopt it. As

380-429: A youth ( puer ), but as a man ( vir ) of God. Romanus , Gregory states, served Benedict in every way he could. The monk apparently visited him frequently, and on fixed days brought him food. During these three years of solitude, broken only by occasional communications with the outer world and by the visits of Romanus, Benedict matured both in mind and character, in knowledge of himself and of his fellow-man, and at

418-453: Is Benedict's day of death and that his memorial is celebrated on 11 July, while on 11 July it devotes seven lines to speaking of him, and mentions the tradition that he died on 21 March. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Benedict on 14 March. The Lutheran Churches celebrate the Feast of Saint Benedict on July 11. The Anglican Communion has no single universal calendar, but

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456-455: Is about ten feet deep. On his way from Enfide, Benedict met a monk, Romanus of Subiaco , whose monastery was on the mountain above the cliff overhanging the cave. Romanus discussed with Benedict the purpose which had brought him to Subiaco, and gave him the monk's habit. By his advice Benedict became a hermit and for three years lived in this cave above the lake. Gregory tells little of Benedict's later life. He now speaks of Benedict no longer as

494-642: Is mentioned as oppidum Afile by Frontinus . It was crossed by the Via Sublacense . In the 10th century a village existed in the former Roman oppidum , centred on the church of St. Peter. In 1013 a castle ( castrum ) is cited in Affile, which in 1109 was ceded by Pope Paschal II to the Abbey of St. Scholastica of Subiaco. Later it was a possession of the Altieri and Braschi families. On 11 August 2012

532-644: Is one of the oldest abbeys of the Benedictine rule. In 660, the remains of Saint Benedict of Nursia were transferred to Saint Benoît from Monte Cassino by Mommolin of Fleury . The monastery, known for the Fleury Playbook , was pillaged and damaged multiple times over the course of history, including during the Norman conquests and the French Revolution . The current abbey church is in

570-607: Is the patron saint of speleologists . On the island of Tenerife ( Spain ) he is the patron saint of fields and farmers. An important romeria ( Romería Regional de San Benito Abad ) is held on this island in his honor, one of the most important in the country. In the pre-1970 General Roman Calendar , his feast is kept on 21 March, the day of his death according to some manuscripts of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum and that of Bede . Because on that date his liturgical memorial would always be impeded by

608-562: The Romanesque style and dates from the eleventh century. A community of approximately 40 monks currently resides in the monastery. This Loiret geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Enfide Archaeology has shown the existence of a pre-Roman centre here, on the border of the lands of the Hernici and the Aequi . In the 1st century AD it

646-565: The 18th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, historian Bahru Zewde said: "“He [Graziani] is remembered for vowing to deliver Ethiopia to Mussolini “with or without the Ethiopians”. He went on to fulfill that vow with indiscriminate use of chemical weapons and the massacre of thousands of Ethiopians. Graziani was never tried for his war crimes in Africa. Had he been alive, there is no doubt that he would have been forced to face justice at

684-602: The International Criminal Court. The erection with public funds of a monument for someone who has the blood of so many Africans on his hands is therefore adding insult to injury." In 2017, Mayor Ercole Viri and two other town councillors were convicted of "fascism apology", a crime in Italy, for building the monument. Viri was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment and the two councillors were sentenced to six months each. The court did not, however, order

722-401: The authenticity of this work is disputed. Gregory's account of Benedict's life, however, is not a biography in the modern sense of the word. It provides instead a spiritual portrait of the gentle, disciplined abbot. In a letter to Bishop Maximilian of Syracuse, Gregory states his intention for his Dialogues , saying they are a kind of floretum (an anthology , literally, 'flower garden') of

760-482: The bust from his own collection and said he hoped the sight would be as “famous and as popular as Predappio” – the burial place of Mussolini which has become a shrine for neo-Fascists. He later defended the council’s decision by stating that “Graziani was not a war criminal” However, demonstrations against the memorial were quickly organised. On 12 September the monument was damaged and covered in graffiti. The monument has also been denounced in Ethiopia. Speaking after

798-415: The cross. An investigation found a number of painted crosses on the walls of the abbey with the letters now found on St Benedict medals, but their meaning had been forgotten. A manuscript written in 1415 was eventually found that had a picture of Benedict holding a scroll in one hand and a staff which ended in a cross in the other. On the scroll and staff were written the full words of the initials contained on

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836-571: The cross. Either the inscription "PAX" (Peace) or the Christogram "IHS" may be found at the top of the cross in most cases. Around the medal's margin on this side are the Vade Retro Satana initials VRSNSMV which stand for "Vade Retro Satana, Nonquam Suade Mihi Vana" ("Begone Satan, do not suggest to me thy vanities") then a space followed by the initials SMQLIVB which signify "Sunt Mala Quae Libas, Ipse Venena Bibas" ("Evil are

874-603: The crosses. Medals then began to be struck in Germany, which then spread throughout Europe. This medal was first approved by Pope Benedict XIV in his briefs of 23 December 1741 and 12 March 1742. Benedict has been also the motif of many collector's coins around the world. The Austria 50 euro 'The Christian Religious Orders' , issued on 13 March 2002 is one of them. The early Middle Ages have been called "the Benedictine centuries." In April 2008, Pope Benedict XVI discussed

912-520: The foundational document for thousands of religious communities in the Middle Ages. To this day, The Rule of St. Benedict is the most common and influential Rule used by monasteries and monks, more than 1,400 years after its writing. A basilica was built upon the birthplace of Benedict and Scholastica in the 1400s. Ruins of their familial home were excavated from beneath the church and preserved. The earthquake of 30 October 2016 completely devastated

950-461: The great Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino , which lies on a hilltop between Rome and Naples. Benedict died of a fever at Monte Cassino not long after his sister, Scholastica , and was buried in the same tomb. According to tradition, this occurred on 21 March 547. He was named patron protector of Europe by Pope Paul VI in 1964. In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared him co- patron of Europe, together with Cyril and Methodius . Furthermore, he

988-501: The influence St Benedict had on Western Europe. The pope said that "with his life and work St Benedict exercised a fundamental influence on the development of European civilization and culture" and helped Europe to emerge from the "dark night of history" that followed the fall of the Roman empire . Benedict contributed more than anyone else to the rise of monasticism in the West. His Rule was

1026-433: The loaf away. From this time his miracles seem to have become frequent, and many people, attracted by his sanctity and character, came to Subiaco to be under his guidance. Having failed by sending him poisonous bread, Florentius tried to seduce his monks with some prostitutes. To avoid further temptations, in about 530 Benedict left Subiaco. He founded 12 monasteries in the vicinity of Subiaco, and, eventually, in 530 he founded

1064-546: The medal has a cross with the initials CSSML on the vertical bar which signify "Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux" ("May the Holy Cross be my light") and on the horizontal bar are the initials NDSMD which stand for "Non-Draco Sit Mihi Dux" ("Let not the dragon be my guide"). The initials CSPB stand for "Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti" ("The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict") and are located on the interior angles of

1102-420: The monks tried to poison him. The legend goes that they first tried to poison his drink. He prayed a blessing over the cup and the cup shattered. Thus he left the group and went back to his cave at Subiaco. There lived in the neighborhood a priest called Florentius who, moved by envy, tried to ruin him. He tried to poison him with poisoned bread. When he prayed a blessing over the bread, a raven swept in and took

1140-506: The most striking miracles of Italian holy men. Gregory did not set out to write a chronological, historically anchored story of Benedict, but he did base his anecdotes on direct testimony. To establish his authority, Gregory explains that his information came from what he considered the best sources: a handful of Benedict's disciples who lived with him and witnessed his various miracles. These followers, he says, are Constantinus, who succeeded Benedict as Abbot of Monte Cassino, Honoratus , who

1178-476: The mountains and leading directly to Subiaco. The path continues to ascend, and the side of the ravine on which it runs becomes steeper until a cave is reached, above this point the mountain now rises almost perpendicularly; while on the right, it strikes in a rapid descent down to where, in Benedict's day, 500 feet (150 m) below, lay the blue waters of a lake. The cave has a large triangular-shaped opening and

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1216-541: The observance of Lent , the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar moved his memorial to 11 July, the date that appears in some Gallic liturgical books of the end of the 8th century as the feast commemorating his birth ( Natalis S. Benedicti ). There is some uncertainty about the origin of this feast. Accordingly, on 21 March the Roman Martyrology mentions in a line and a half that it

1254-532: The same time he became not merely known to, but secured the respect of, those about him; so much so that on the death of the abbot of a monastery in the neighbourhood (identified by some with Vicovaro ), the community came to him and begged him to become its abbot. Benedict was acquainted with the life and discipline of the monastery, and knew that "their manners were diverse from his and therefore that they would never agree together: yet, at length, overcome with their entreaty, he gave his consent". The experiment failed;

1292-482: The short-lived Italian Social Republic . The New York Times described the monument as being in "a style reminiscent of fascist architecture". It was built on Affile's highest hill and bears the inscriptions “Honour” and “Homeland”. Inside is a marble bust of Graziani, a list of his deeds, and original 1955 newspapers from the day he died. The mausoleum was reported to cost Euro 127,000, paid for by taxpayers from regional funds. The town’s mayor, Ercole Viri, donated

1330-603: The structure of the basilica, leaving only the front facade and altar standing. Saint-Beno%C3%AEt-sur-Loire Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire ( French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ bənwa syʁ lwaʁ] , literally Saint-Benoît on Loire ) is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France . This town hosts the Abbaye de Fleury , also known as the Abbaye de Saint Benoît (Saint Benedict Abbey). Founded around 630, it

1368-528: The things thou profferest, drink thou thine own poison"). This medal was first struck in 1880 to commemorate the fourteenth centenary of Benedict's birth and is also called the Jubilee Medal; its exact origin, however, is unknown. In 1647, during a witchcraft trial at Natternberg near Metten Abbey in Bavaria, the accused women testified they had no power over Metten, which was under the protection of

1406-432: Was abbot of Subiaco when St. Gregory wrote his Dialogues , Valentinianus , and Simplicius . In Gregory's day, history was not recognised as an independent field of study; it was a branch of grammar or rhetoric, and historia was an account that summed up the findings of the learned when they wrote what was, at that time, considered history. Gregory's Dialogues , Book Two, then, an authentic medieval hagiography cast as

1444-533: Was sent to Rome to study, but was disappointed by the academic studies he encountered there. Seeking to flee the great city, he left with his nurse and settled in Enfide . Enfide, which the tradition of Subiaco identifies with the modern Affile , is in the Simbruini mountains, about forty miles from Rome and two miles from Subiaco. A short distance from Enfide is the entrance to a narrow, gloomy valley, penetrating

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