Saint benedict brief biography of princess

Gregory's DialoguesBook Two, then, an authentic medieval hagiography cast as a conversation between the Pope and his deacon Peter, is designed to teach spiritual lessons. He was the son of a Roman noble of Nursia, the modern Norcia, in Umbria. A tradition which Bede accepts makes him a twin with his sister Scholastica. If is accepted as the year of his birth, the year of his abandonment of his studies and leaving home would be about Gregory's narrative makes it impossible to suppose him younger than 20 at the time.

Benedict was sent to Rome to study, but was disappointed by the life he found there. He does not seem to have left Rome for the purpose of becoming a hermitbut only to find some place away from the life of the great city. He took his old nurse with him as a servant and they settled down to live 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 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 which the mountain now rises almost perpendicularly; while on the right, it strikes in a rapid descent down to where, in Benedict's day, feet m below, lay the blue waters of a lake.

The cave has a large triangular-shaped opening and 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, unknown to men, lived in this cave above the lake.

Gregory tells us little of these years. He now speaks of Benedict no longer as a youth puerbut as a man vir of God. Romanus, Gregory tells us, 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 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 Vicovarothe 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" ibid. The experiment failed; 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. How much the more, then, are complete humility and pure devotion necessary in supplication of the Lord who is God of the universe! And let us be assured that it is not in saying a great deal that we shall be heard Mattbut in purity of heart and in tears of compunction.

Saint benedict brief biography of princess: Bernadette of Lourdes was a French

Our prayer, therefore, ought to be short and pure, unless it happens to be prolonged by an inspiration of divine grace. In community, however, let prayer be very short, and when the Superior gives the signal let all rise together. Stay up to date with all the news and events of the Monastery! From the school to the printing press, from the camp programs to the latest sales and exclusive items in our gift shop… you won't want to miss one email!

Sign up today! Father of Monks Saint Benedict. The Jubilee Medal of Montecassino. Symbolism of Medal Because the Jubilee Medal of has all the important features ever associated with the Medal of St. Rule and Raven In St. Shop Saint Benedict Items! Peace Above the cross is the word pax peacethat has been a Benedictine motto for centuries. Use of the Saint Benedict Medal.

Saint benedict brief biography of princess: Saint Benedict, founder of Western

Special Use of the Medal By a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites 6 Marchthe Blessing of Saint Maur over the sick is permitted to be given with a Medal of Saint Benedict instead of with a relic of the True Cross, since the latter is difficult to obtain. Shop our selection of Saint Benedict medals and items! On Reverence in Prayer from the Rule of Saint Benedict When we wish to suggest our wants to persons of high station, we do not presume to do so except with humility and reverence.

Email Updates from the Monastery! Thank you for your interest! In the period between and AD he founded the Abbey of Montecassino. It would become the most famous abbey in continental Europe. On the remains of the altar of Apollo he built a chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, while the temple of Apollo itself was turned into an oratory for the monks which was dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours.

At Montecassino Saint Benedict displayed prodigious activity. He supervised the building of the monastery, established a monastic order and performed many miracles. He brought back from death a youngster, miraculously supplied the monastery with flour and oil in its time of need and displayed the gift of prophecy. In autumn of AD, while the Goth King Totila was passing through Cassino en route to Naples to attack it, he decided to test Saint Benedict because he had already heard of his gifts and charisms.

As a consequence, Totila sent his squire dressed as a king to greet the monk; but Saint Benedict soon unmasked him. You will enter Rome, you will cross the vast sea, you will reign for nine years; however in the tenth year, you will die. Saint Benedict showed the same virtue as he cried bitterly when confronted wiht the vision of the first destruction of his monastery.

Saint benedict brief biography of princess: St. Benedict was born at Nursia

Notwithstanding, he received from God the grace to save all the monks. Saint Benedict devoted himself to evangelizing the local population who practiced pagan worship. Shortly before he died, Saint Benedict saw the soul of his sister Saint Scholastica rising to heaven in the form of a dove. This vision happened a few days after their last talk together at the foot of Montecassino.

Heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian c. As 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, [ 8 ] the only ancient account of Benedict is found in the second volume of Pope Gregory I 's four-book Dialoguesthought to have been written in[ 9 ] although 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 Dialoguessaying they are a kind of floretum an anthologyliterally, 'flower garden' of 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.

Gregory wrote his DialoguesValentinianusand 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. Benedict was the son of a Roman noble of Nursia[ 9 ] [ 13 ] the modern Norciain Umbria.

If is accepted as the year of his birth, the year of his abandonment of his studies and leaving home would be about Gregory's narrative makes it impossible to suppose him younger than 20 at the time. Benedict 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.

A short distance from Enfide is the entrance to a narrow, gloomy valley, penetrating 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, feet m below, lay the blue waters of a lake.

The cave has a large triangular-shaped opening and is about ten feet deep. On his way from Enfide, Benedict met a monk, Romanus of Subiacowhose saint benedict brief biography of princess 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 a youth puerbut as a man vir of God. RomanusGregory 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 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 Vicovarothe 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 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 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 Benedict left Subiaco. Benedict died of a fever at Monte Cassino not long after his sister, Scholasticaand was buried in the same tomb. According to tradition, this occurred on 21 March In the pre General Roman Calendarhis 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 the observance of Lentthe 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. There is some uncertainty about the origin of this feast.

The Anglican Communion has no single universal calendar, but a provincial calendar of saints is published in each province.