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Saint Benedict is the father of the entire Benedictine Order. The only source we have for learning about him is Pope Saint Gregory the Great’s “Dialogues,” a work in four books written around 593-594, the second book of which is entirely dedicated to Benedict.

Benedict was born in Norcia in 480. As a boy, he was sent to study in Rome, where he experienced a religious conversion that led him to ‘leave’ the world in order to return to it as a new man. The ‘Life’ first shows him as a member of a group of ascetics living in Enfide (now Affile), east of Rome; then, for a period of three years, as a solitary ascetic in Subiaco.

After a bitter experience leading a group of monks who had wanted him as their superior but then showed no intention of living a committed Christian life, Benedict returned to Subiaco, where he was soon surrounded by numerous disciples for whom he built twelve monasteries, each composed of twelve monks.

After seeing that these monasteries were deeply rooted, Benedict, with some of his disciples, left the region and moved to the top of the mountain overlooking Cassino (about 120 kilometers from Rome on the road to Naples), where he built the famous Abbey of Montecassino. According to tradition, he died there on March 21, 547.

St. Benedict wrote a Rule for monks, which changed Western monasticism. It is precisely by reading the Rule that it is possible to grasp the complex personality of the saint, who certainly appears as a great organizer, but even more so—due to his attention and respect for the individual—as a caring father to his monks.

The Rule consists of 73 chapters. In the seventy-third and final chapter, St. Benedict modestly states that his Rule is not so much a manual of instructions for achieving perfection, but rather a set of guidelines for devotion for those who are approaching the spiritual life. The Rule, however, is not only for novices or those who intend to become monks, but is also a manual, a code for prayer, for monastic life as a whole, as well as an inspiration for organization, monastic duties, and disciplinary actions to be taken by abbots and superiors. The Rule as a whole encourages love, prayer, work, respect, chastity, moderation, and communion.

The Rule spread quickly, was accepted by numerous other monasteries, and remains of fundamental importance to the Benedictine Order today. The Rule was simple for everyone to use and follow, not only because of its clear and concise messages, but also because it was designed to be adopted by other autonomous monasteries and not just by St. Benedict’s beloved Montecassino. An important historical figure who made a copy of St. Benedict’s Rule and promoted it throughout Western Europe was Charlemagne in the 8th century. After being inspired during a visit to Montecassino, Charlemagne requested transcripts of the Rule. One of these many original transcripts of the Rule still survives today.

To read the Rule, click here.