View source for Benedict of Nursia

{{Short description|6th-century Italian Catholic saint and monk}}
{{Redirect|Saint Benedict}}

{{Infobox saint
|honorific_prefix=[[Saint]]
|name= Benedict of Nursia 
|honorific_suffix=
|birth_date={{birth date|480|3|2|df=y}}
|death_date= {{death date and age|547|3|21|480|3|2|df=y}}
|feast_day=11 July ([[General Roman Calendar]], [[Lutheran Church]]es, [[Anglican Communion]])<br>14 March ([[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Byzantine Catholic Church]])<br>21 March (pre-1970 General Roman Calendar)
|venerated_in= All [[Christian denomination]]s which [[veneration of saints| venerate saints]]
|image= [[File:Memling, Trittico di Benedetto Portinari, San Benedetto.jpg|Memling, Trittico di Benedetto Portinari, San Benedetto|250px]]
|caption= A portrait of Saint Benedict as depicted in the [[Benedetto Portinari Triptych]], by [[Hans Memling]]
|birth_place= [[Nursia]], [[Kingdom of Italy (476–493) |Kingdom of Italy]]
|death_place=[[Monte Cassino |Mons Casinus]], [[Eastern Roman Empire]]
|titles=Founder of the Benedictine Order, Exorcist, Mystic, Abbot of Monte Cassino, and Father of Western Monasticism
|beatified_date= 
|beatified_place=
|beatified_by=
|canonized_date=1220
|canonized_place=[[Rome]], [[Papal States]]
|canonized_by=[[Pope Honorius III]]
|attributes={{Hlist|Bell|Book inscribed [[Ora et labora | "Pray and Work"]]<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1                = Lanzi
 |first1               = Fernando
 |last2                = Lanzi
 |first2               = Gioia
 |translator-last1     = O'Connell
 |translator-first1    = Matthew J.
 |year                 = 2004
 |orig-date            = 2003
 |title                = Saints and Their Symbols: Recog
 |trans-title          = Come riconoscere i santi
 |title-link           = 
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=D_aF50Lo8lQC
 |publication-place    = Collegeville, Minnesota
 |publisher            = Liturgical Press
 |page                 = 218
 |isbn                 = 9780814629703
 |access-date          = 26 October 2023
 |quote                = Benedict of Nursia [...] Principal attributes: black monastic garb, staff, book with inscription: "Pray and Work."
}} 
</ref>
|Broken cup and serpent representing poison|Broken utensil|Bush|Crosier|Man in a Benedictine cowl holding Benedict's rule or a rod of discipline|Raven|holding a bound [[bundle of sticks]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Benedict of Nursia: The Iconography |url= https://www.christianiconography.info/benedict.html |access-date= 27 November 2022 |archive-date= 27 November 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221127021238/https://www.christianiconography.info/benedict.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
|patronage={{Hlist|Against poison|Against curses|Agricultural workers|Cavers|Civil engineers|[[Coppersmith]]s |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|Temptations}}
|major_shrine=Monte Cassino Abbey, with his burial<br>
[[Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire]], near [[Orléans]], France<br>
Sacro Speco, at Subiaco, Italy
|suppressed_date=
|issues=
}}
'''Benedict of Nursia''' ({{langx|la|Benedictus Nursiae}}; {{langx|it|Benedetto da Norcia}}; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as '''Saint Benedict''', was a [[Great Church| Christian]] monk. He is famed in the [[Catholic Church]], the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the [[Lutheran Church]]es, the [[Anglican Communion]], and [[Old Catholic Church]]es.<ref name="Barry1995">{{cite book | last= Barry |first= Patrick |author-link=Patrick Barry (bishop) |title= St. Benedict and Christianity in England|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=U6OTu8n3SLcC&pg=PA32 |year= 1995|publisher= Gracewing Publishing|isbn= 9780852443385|page= 32}}</ref><ref name="Ramshaw1983">{{cite book |last1=Ramshaw |first1=Gail |title=Festivals and Commemorations in Evangelical Lutheran Worship |date=1983 |publisher=Augsburg Fortress |page=299 |url=https://ms.augsburgfortress.org/downloads/More%20Days%20for%20Praise%20sample.pdf}}</ref> In 1964, Pope [[Paul VI]] declared Benedict a [[Patron saints of Europe |patron saint of Europe]].<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1                = Barrely
 |first1               = Christine
 |last2                = Leblon
 |first2               = Saskia
 |last3                = Péraudin
 |first3               = Laure
 |last4                = Trieulet
 |first4               = Stéphane
 |translator-last1     = Bell
 |translator-first1    = Elizabeth
 |date                 = 23 March 2011
 |orig-date            = 2009
 |chapter              = Benedict
 |title                = The Little Book of Saints
 |trans-title          = Petit livre des saints
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6oonnw_C7QC
 |publication-place    = San Francisco
 |publisher            = Chronicle Book
 |page                 = 34
 |isbn                 = 9780811877473
 |access-date          = 26 October 2023
 |quote                = Declared the patron saint of Europe in 1964 by Pope Paul VI, Benedict is also the patron of farmers, peasants, and Italian architects.
}} 
</ref>

Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at [[Subiaco, Lazio | Subiaco]] in present-day Lazio, Italy (about {{convert|65|km|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 [[religious order  | "order"]] as the term is commonly understood, but a confederation of autonomous [[Congregation (group of houses) | congregation]]s.<ref name="Holder2009">{{cite book |last= Holder |first= Arthur G. |title= Christian Spirituality: The Classics |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Jz2KjBCIcEkC&pg=PA69 |year= 2009 |publisher= Taylor & Francis |isbn= 9780415776028 |page= 70|quote= Today, tens of thousands of men and women throughout the world profess to live their lives according to Benedict's ''Rule''. These men and women are associated with over two thousand Roman Catholic, Anglican, and ecumenical Benedictine monasteries on six continents. |access-date= 23 March 2016|archive-date= 20 February 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230220060712/https://books.google.com/books?id=Jz2KjBCIcEkC&pg=PA69 |url-status= live}}</ref>

Benedict's main achievement, his ''[[Rule of Saint Benedict]]'', contains a set of [[Decree (canon law)| rules]] for his monks to follow. Heavily influenced by the writings of [[John Cassian]] ({{circa | 360}} – {{circa |  435}}), it shows strong affinity with the earlier ''[[Rule of the Master]]'', but it also has a unique spirit of balance, moderation and reasonableness ({{lang|grc| ἐπιείκεια}}, ''epieíkeia''), which persuaded most Christian religious communities founded throughout the [[Middle Ages]] to adopt it. As a result, Benedict's [[monastic rule | Rule]] became one of the most influential religious rules in Western [[Christendom]]. For this reason, Giuseppe Carletti regarded Benedict as the founder of [[Christian monasticism#Western Christian monasticism |Western Christian monasticism]].<ref>
Carletti, Giuseppe, ''Life of St. Benedict'' ([[Freeport, NY]]: Books for Libraries Press, 1971).</ref>

==Hagiography==
Apart from a short poem attributed to Mark of Monte Cassino,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ampleforthjournal.org/V_027.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.ampleforthjournal.org/V_027.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=The Autumn Number 1921 |website=The Ampleforth Journal}}</ref> the only ancient account of Benedict is found in the second volume of [[Pope Gregory&nbsp;I]]'s four-book ''Dialogues'', thought to have been written in 593,<ref name=ford/> although the authenticity of this work is disputed.<ref name="dialogues book two">''Life and Miracles of St. Benedict'' (''Book II, Dialogues''), tr. Odo John Zimmerman, O.S.B. and Benedict 
, O.S.B. (Westport, CT: [[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood Press]], 1980), p. iv.</ref>

Gregory's account of Benedict's life, however, is not a biography in the modern sense of the word. It provides instead a [[Hagiography|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 the most striking miracles of Italian holy men.<ref name="fn_4">See [[Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster|Ildephonso Schuster]], ''Saint Benedict and His Times'', Gregory A. Roettger, tr. (London: [[Verlag Herder|B. Herder]], 1951), p. 2.</ref>

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 was abbot of Subiaco when St. Gregory wrote his ''Dialogues'', [[Valentinian III|Valentinianus]], and [[Pope Simplicius|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.<ref name="fn_6">See Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis, ed., ''Historiography in the Middle Ages'' (Boston: Brill, 2003), pp. 1–2.</ref> Gregory's ''Dialogues'', Book Two, then, an authentic [[Hagiography#Medieval England|medieval hagiography]] cast as a conversation between the Pope and his deacon Peter,{{efn|name=Colgrave|For the various literary accounts, see Anonymous Monk of Whitby, ''The Earliest Life of Gregory the Great'', tr. [[Bertram Colgrave|B. Colgrave]] (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985), p. 157, n. 110.}} is designed to teach spiritual lessons.<ref name=ford/>

==Early life==
Benedict was the son of a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] noble of [[Nursia]],<ref name=ford>{{cite web| url = https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02467b.htm| title = Ford, Hugh. "St. Benedict of Norcia." The ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 3 Mar. 2014| access-date = 3 March 2014| archive-date = 9 March 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210309172635/https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02467b.htm| url-status = live}}</ref><ref name=Knowles>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Benedict-of-Nursia Knowles, Michael David. "St. Benedict". ''Encyclopedia Britannica'']</ref> the modern [[Norcia]], in [[Umbria]]. According to Gregory's narrative, Benedict was born around 480, and the year in which he abandoned his studies and left home "was probably a few years before 500."<ref>Pope Gregory I, E. G. Gardner (ed.), ''The Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great: Re-edited with an Introduction and Notes'' (London & Boston: Philip Lee Warner, 1911), [https://books.google.com/books?id=H-lrSGeNTAMC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&lpg=PP1&pg=PA263&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false p. 263].</ref>{{rp|263}}

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]].<ref name=Crawley>{{cite web| url = https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/saint-benedict-abbot-founder-of-western-monasticism-5225| title = "Saint Benedict, Abbot", ''Lives of Saints'', John J. Crawley & Co., Inc.| access-date = 11 February 2015| archive-date = 8 July 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190708000639/http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/benedict.htm| url-status = live}}</ref> Enfide, which the tradition of Subiaco identifies with the modern [[Affile]], is in the [[Simbruini]] mountains, about forty miles from Rome<ref name=Knowles/> and two miles from Subiaco.

[[File:Benedetto, Mauro e Placido.jpg|thumb|200px|left|''Saint Benedict orders [[Saint Maurus]] to the rescue of [[Saint Placidus]]'', by [[Fra Filippo Lippi]], AD&nbsp;1445]]

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, {{convert|500|ft|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 lived in this cave above the lake.<ref name=Knowles/>

==Later life==
Gregory tells little of Benedict's later life. He now speaks of Benedict no longer as a youth ({{lang|la|puer}}), but as a man ({{lang|la|vir}}) of God. [[Romanus of Subiaco|Romanus]], Gregory states, served Benedict in every way he could. The monk apparently visited him frequently, and on fixed days brought him food.<ref name=Crawley/><!-- Image with questionable fair-use claim removed: [[File:it238th.jpg|right]] -->

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 [[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".<ref name="dialogues book two"/>{{rp|3}} 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. 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 530 Benedict left Subiaco.<ref>[[Matthew Bunson|Bunson, M.]], Bunson, M., & Bunson, S., ''Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints'' ([[Huntington, Indiana|Huntington IN]]: [[Our Sunday Visitor]], 2014), p. 125.</ref> He founded 12 monasteries in the vicinity of Subiaco, and, eventually, in 530 he founded the great Benedictine monastery of [[Monte Cassino]], which lies on a hilltop between Rome and Naples.<ref name=tbl>[https://www.bl.uk/people/st-benedict-of-nursia "St Benedict of Nursia", the British Library]</ref>

[[File:Totila e San Benedetto.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Totila]] and Saint Benedict, painted by [[Spinello Aretino]]. According to Pope Gregory, King Totila ordered a general to wear his kingly robes in order to see whether Benedict would discover the truth. Immediately Benedict detected the impersonation, and Totila came to pay him due respect.]]

==Veneration==
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.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080409.html| title = Saint Benedict of Norcia| access-date = 15 March 2020| archive-date = 9 December 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191209081226/http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080409.html| url-status = live}}</ref> He was named patron protector of Europe by [[Pope Paul VI]] in 1964.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=556 | title=St. Benedict of Norcia | publisher=Catholic Online | access-date=31 July 2008 | archive-date=28 June 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628194923/http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=556 | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1980, [[Pope John Paul II]] declared him co-[[patron saint|patron]] of Europe, together with [[Cyril and Methodius]].<ref name="Egregiae Virtutis">{{cite web | title =Egregiae Virtutis | url =https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_31121980_egregiae-virtutis_lt.html | access-date =26 April 2009 | archive-date =4 January 2009 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090104182217/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_31121980_egregiae-virtutis_lt.html | url-status =live }} [[Ecclesiastical letter#Letters of the popes in modern times|Apostolic letter]] of [[Pope John Paul II]], 31 December 1980 {{in lang|la}}</ref> Furthermore, he is the patron saint of [[speleologists]].<ref>Brewer's dictionary of phrase & fable. Cassell. p.953</ref> On the island of [[Tenerife]] ([[Spain]]) he is the patron saint of fields and farmers.<ref>Santos, J. T., [https://lalagunaahora.com/la-romeria-de-san-benito-abad-en-el-siglo-xx-apuntes-para-la-verdadera-historia-i-por-julio-torres-santos/ "The Pilgrimage of San Benito in the 20th Century"], ''lalagunaahora.com'', June 15, 2015.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.spain.info/es/agenda/romeria-san-benito-abad/ "Romería de San Benito Abad", Oficial de turismo de España]</ref>

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 [[Catholic liturgy|liturgical]] [[memorial (liturgy)|memorial]] would always be impeded by the observance of [[Lent]], the [[Mysterii Paschalis|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.<ref>"Calendarium Romanum" ([[Libreria Editrice Vaticana]]), pp. 97 and 119</ref> Accordingly, on 21 March the [[Roman Martyrology]] mentions in a line and a half that it 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.<ref>''Martyrologium Romanum'' 199 (edito altera 2004); pages 188 and 361 of the 2001 edition (Libreria Editrice Vaticana {{ISBN|978-88-209-7210-3}})</ref>

The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] commemorates Saint Benedict on 14 March.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2025/03/14/100800-venerable-benedict-of-nursia| title = "Orthodox Church in America: The Lives of the Saints, March 14th"| access-date = 27 March 2011| archive-date = 12 May 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110512062741/http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=100800| url-status = live}}</ref>

The [[Lutheran Church]]es celebrate the Feast of Saint Benedict on July 11.<ref name="Ramshaw1983"/>

The [[Anglican Communion]] has no single universal calendar, but a provincial [[List of Anglican Church calendars|calendar of saints]] is published in each province. In almost all of these, Saint Benedict is commemorated on 11 July. Benedict is [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|remembered]] in the [[Church of England]] with a [[Lesser Festival]] on 11 July.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=2021-03-27|website=The Church of England|language=en|archive-date=15 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215173755/https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|url-status=live}}</ref>

==''Rule of Saint Benedict''==
{{Main|Rule of Saint Benedict}}
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 a Christocentric life on earth) and administrative (how to run a monastery efficiently).<ref name=tbl/> 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.<ref name=foley>[https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-benedict/ "Saint Benedict", Franciscan Media]</ref>

==Saint Benedict Medal==
{{Main|Saint Benedict Medal}}
[[File:Benediktusmedaille.jpg|thumb|210px|Benedict depicted on a Jubilee [[Saint Benedict Medal]] for the 1,400th anniversary of his birth in 1880]]
This [[devotional medal]] originally came from 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 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 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 the things thou profferest, drink thou thine own poison").<ref name="Benedict pp 60">[https://books.google.com/books?id=dgElCwAAQBAJ ''The Life of St Benedict''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220060713/https://books.google.com/books?id=dgElCwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover |date=20 February 2023 }}, by St. Gregory the Great, [[Rockford, IL]]: [[TAN Books]], pp 60–62.</ref>

[[File:StBenedictVadeRetroSatana.jpg|thumb|180px|left|Image of Saint Benedict with a cross (which is inscribed, "Crux sacra sit mihi lux! Non-draco sit mihi dux!" ("May the holy cross be my light! May the dragon never be my guide!")) and a scroll stating "Vade retro Satana! Nunquam suade mihi vana! Sunt mala quae libas. Ipse venena bibas! ("Begone Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities! The drink you offer is evil. Drink that poison yourself!", or in brief,''[[Vade Retro Satana]]'' which is abbreviated on the [[Saint Benedict Medal]].]]
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 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 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.<ref name="Benedict pp 60"/>

Benedict has been also the motif of many collector's coins around the world. The [[Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Austria)#2002 coinage|Austria 50 euro 'The Christian Religious Orders']], issued on 13 March 2002 is one of them.<ref>Staff, [https://www.coin-database.com/coins/50-euro-the-christian-religious-orders-austria-2002.html "50 euro - The Christian Religious Orders"], coin-database.com.</ref>

==Influence==
[[File:2002 Austria 50 Euro Christian Religious Orders front.jpg|160px|thumb|right|[[Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Austria)#2002 coinage|Austria 50 euro 'The Christian Religious Orders' commemorative coin]]]]

The early Middle Ages have been called "the Benedictine centuries".<ref>{{cite web | title = Western Europe in the Middle Ages | access-date = 17 November 2008 | url = http://www.northern.edu/marmorsa/medievallec1.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080602064810/http://www.northern.edu/marmorsa/medievallec1.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2 June 2008}}</ref> In April 2008, Pope [[Benedict XVI]] discussed 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]].<ref>Benedict XVI, "Saint Benedict of Norcia" Homily given to a general audience at [[St. Peter's Square]] on Wednesday, 9 April 2008 {{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080409_en.html |title=? |access-date=4 August 2010 |archive-date=14 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714150153/http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20080409_en.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Benedict contributed more than anyone else to the rise of monasticism in the West. His Rule was the foundational document for thousands of religious communities in the Middle Ages.<ref>[http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/benedict.html  Stracke, Prof. J.R., "St. Benedict – Iconography", Augusta State University] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116014059/http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/benedict.html |date=16 November 2011 }}</ref> 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 [[October 2016 Central Italy earthquakes|earthquake of 30 October 2016]] completely devastated the structure of the basilica, leaving only the front facade and altar standing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.nursia.org/earthquake/ |title=Earthquake Blog - Monks of Norcia |access-date=2 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104010103/https://en.nursia.org/earthquake/ |archive-date=4 November 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Bruton, F. B., & Lavanga, C., [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/beer-brewing-monks-norcia-say-earthquake-destroys-st-benedict-basilica-n675536 "Beer-Brewing Monks of Norcia Say Earthquake Destroys St. Benedict Basilica"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108172104/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/beer-brewing-monks-norcia-say-earthquake-destroys-st-benedict-basilica-n675536 |date=8 November 2020 }}, [[NBC News]], October 31, 2016.</ref> 

{{-}}

==Gallery==
:''See also [[:Category:Paintings of Benedict of Nursia]].''
<gallery>
Melk16.jpg|''Saint Benedict and the cup of poison'' ([[Melk Abbey]], Austria)
Gold-colored_small_Saint_Benedict_crucifix.jpg|Small gold-coloured Saint Benedict crucifix
Saint Benedict Medal.jpg|Both sides of a [[Saint Benedict Medal]]
Heiligenkreuz.St. Benedict.jpg|Portrait (1926) by Herman Nieg (1849–1928); [[Heiligenkreuz Abbey]], Austria
BenedictEpisodeCure.jpg|''St. Benedict at the Death of St. Scholastica'' ({{circa|1250}}–60), Musée National de l'Age Médiévale, Paris, orig. at the Abbatiale of St. Denis
Einsiedeln - St. Benedikt 2013-01-26 13-50-02 (P7700).JPG|Statue in [[Einsiedeln Abbey|Einsiedeln]], Switzerland
WiKi_SaintBenedictStatueWarsaw20110712.jpg|Statue in the Old Town district of Warsaw, Poland
Saint Andrew and Saint Benedict with the Archangel Gabriel (left panel) B35301.jpg|Benedict holding a bound [[bundle of sticks]] representing the strength of monks who live in community<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Benedict of Nursia: The Iconography |url=https://www.christianiconography.info/benedict.html |access-date=27 November 2022 |archive-date=27 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127021238/https://www.christianiconography.info/benedict.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Anthony the Great]]
* [[Scholastica]] (St. Benedict's sister)
* [[Benedict of Aniane]]
* [[Benedictine Order]]
* [[Camaldolese]]
* [[Hermit]]
* [[San Beneto]]
* [[Saint Benedict Medal]]
* [[Vade retro satana]]
* [[St Benedict Patron of Europe Association]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{notelist}}
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|editor-last=Gardner|editor-first=Edmund G.|editor-link=Edmund Garratt Gardner|title=The Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-lrSGeNTAMC|publisher=Philip Lee Warner, Publisher to the Medici Society Ltd.|location=London and Boston|year=1911|isbn=9781889758947}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Portal|Saints}}
* {{cite web|url=https://osb.org/|title=The Order of Saint Benedict|language= en|website= osb.org}} (Institutional website of the Order of Saint Benedict)
* {{cite web|url=https://digilander.libero.it/rexur/benedetto/inglese/biografia.htm|title= Life and Miracles of Saint Benedict|language= en, es,fr, it, pt|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041021001308/http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/gregory_02_dialogues_book2.htm|archive-date= 21 October 2004|url-status=live}}

=== The Rule ===
* {{cite web|url= http://www.reephambenefice.org.uk/christophermorgancromar.html/|title= A Benedictine Oblate Priest – The Rule in Parish Life|language= en|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090125002313/http://www.reephambenefice.org.uk/christophermorgancromar.html/|archive-date= 25 January 2009}}
* {{Gutenberg|no=50040 |name=St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries }}, translated by Leonard J. Doyle
* {{cite web|url= https://ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule/rule|title=The Holy Rule of St. Benedict|language= en|translator1= Boniface Verheyen}}

=== Publications  ===
* {{cite book|chapter-url= http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/gregory_02_dialogues_book2.htm|chapter= Life and Miracles of St Benedict|language= en|author= Gregory the Great| title=Dialogues|volume= Book 2.| pages= 51–101|author-link= Gregory the Great}}
* {{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8MPAAAAIAAJ|title=The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict: Its Origin, Meaning, and Privileges|language=en|last1= Guéranger|first1= Prosper|authorlink=Prosper Guéranger|year= 1880}}
* {{Gutenberg author|id=45673}}
* {{Internet Archive author |search=( "St. Benedict" OR "Saint Benedict" OR "Benedict, Saint" OR "Benedict of Norcia" )}}
* {{Librivox author |id=5764}}
* {{cite web|url= http://www.paulandpeters.com/blog/st-benedict-nursia/|title= Saint Benedict of Norcia, Patron of Poison Sufferers, Monks, And Many More|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140421144654/http://www.paulandpeters.com/blog/st-benedict-nursia/|archive-date= 21 April 2014}}
* Marett-Crosby, A., ed., [https://books.google.com/books?id=OxV87Fup-SUC ''The Benedictine Handbook''] ([[Norwich]]: Canterbury Press, 2003).
* {{Helveticat}}

=== Iconography ===
* {{cite web|url= http://www.christianiconography.info/benedict.html/|title= Saint Benedict of Norcia|language= en|access-date= 25 July 2018|archive-date= 19 October 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211019222939/https://www.christianiconography.info/benedict.html|url-status= dead}}
* {{cite web|url= http://www.stpetersbasilica.info/Statues/Founders/Benedict/Benedict.htm|title=Founder Statue in St Peter's Basilica|language= en}}

{{History of the Roman Catholic Church}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benedict of Nurcia}}
[[Category:480 births]]
[[Category:547 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Norcia]]
[[Category:History of Catholic monasticism]]
[[Category:Italian male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Italian Roman Catholic writers]]
[[Category:Benedictine saints]]
[[Category:Founders of Catholic religious communities]]
[[Category:Benedictine spirituality]]
[[Category:5th-century Italo-Roman people]]
[[Category:6th-century Italo-Roman people]]
[[Category:6th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:Medieval Italian saints]]
[[Category:Founders of Christian monasteries]]
[[Category:6th-century writers in Latin]]
[[Category:6th-century Italian writers]]
[[Category:Anglican saints]]
[[Category:Abbots of Monte Cassino]]
[[Category:6th-century Christian abbots]]