Benedict of Nursia
An Italian monk of the sixth century who founded the monastery of Monte Cassino and wrote the rule that became standard in the West. His life is known almost wholly from the Dialogues of Gregory the Great, written about 593.
Gregory the Great says that Benedict was born in the district of Nursia, studied at Rome and left to live as a hermit in a cave at Subiaco (Gregory the Great, Dialogues 2, prologue and 1). After founding several small monasteries there he moved to the hill above Cassino, destroyed a shrine of Apollo and built the monastery of Monte Cassino (Gregory the Great, Dialogues 2.8). Gregory reports a visit from the Gothic king Totila, to whom Benedict foretold a reign of nine years (Gregory the Great, Dialogues 2.15), which places Benedict at Cassino in the 540s. He wrote a rule for his monks and died standing at prayer in the oratory (Gregory the Great, Dialogues 2.36–37).
The Rule itself says nothing about its author. It describes the monastery as “a school of the Lord’s service” (Rule of Benedict prologue). Gregory gives no dates for Benedict’s birth or death.
In the timeline
- c. AD 530–550, estimated dateBenedict Writes His Rule
Benedict of Nursia, abbot of Monte Cassino, writes a rule for monks living in community under an abbot, with a day divided between common prayer, reading and manual work. It later becomes the standard rule of Western monasteries.
Primary sources
Dialogues
- Gregory the Great, Dialogues 2, prologue and 1tertullian.org
- Gregory the Great, Dialogues 2.8tertullian.org
- Gregory the Great, Dialogues 2.15tertullian.org
- Gregory the Great, Dialogues 2.36–37tertullian.org