In Catholicism, the figure of Benedict of Nursia occupies one of the primary places. He is even the patron saint of all of Europe. It is believed that it was Benedict who founded the first monastic order, creating a charter for communal religious life. The saint is revered in all countries of Latin Christianity. That is why he has different names. In Italy, he is Benedetto, Bendt in Denmark, Venedikt in the regions where Orthodoxy is practiced. It often happens that the Church venerates several saints with the same name. Benedict is no exception.
But in this article we will talk about only one saint who bears this name. And this is Benedict the hermit. You will find a photo of the saint (or rather, images of engravings or frescoes) in this article. We will also tell about the life of the founder of Western monasticism and about his path to Salvation. There are also prayers directed to St. Benedict. The Orthodox Church also reveres him. Where are the relics of the saint kept? We will try to tell about all this below.
Life of a Hermit
The future saint was born in 480 in Nursia. Now this Italian town is called Norcia. Therefore, the full name of the saint is Benedict of Nursia. According to legend, he had a twin sister, Scholastica. We will also mention her, because she followed the path of asceticism after her brother and created the first regular convent. We know about the life of the brother and sister only from the Dialogues, which were written at the end of the 6th century by Pope Gregory the Great (Dvoeslov).
Benedict and Scholastica were the children of a noble and we althy Roman. When the son turned 18, his father sent him to the Eternal City to study and build a career. But the turmoil of the world in Rome was clearest of all. Therefore, Benedict, without completing his studies, fled the city. Together with a small handful of equally pious men and youths, he settled in the mountain village of Affide (the modern name of Affila), not far from Subiaco (80 km from Rome). But life in this community seemed to Benedict not harsh enough. Monk Roman from a nearby monastery showed him a grotto near a dam on the Anio River. Benedict settled there. He spent three years in the grotto, and during this time he was tempered not only physically, but also spiritually.
The life of the abbot of the monastery
The fame of the pious hermit grew and spread. Pilgrims began to flock to the cave by the lake on Anio. Soon, the monks from the Vicovaro monastery also became interested in Benedict. When their abbot died, they sent a delegation to the grotto, begging the hermit to come to them and take the position of the deceased. Benedict agreed. Some time later he discovered thatthe brethren hopelessly wallowed in gluttony and laziness. All attempts to bring their lives closer to Christian ideals ended in failure.
It got to the point that the brethren, by agreement, almost poisoned their rector. Therefore, Saint Benedict was forced to flee. He was followed by some of his followers. Benedict divided them into groups and appointed an abbot over each. For himself, he assigned the role of a supervisor of morality and strictness of morals. But that didn't work either. Ambition, envy and the desire of the clerics to live freely led to a new conspiracy.
The first "real" monastery
Benedict moved south. Not far from the town of Cassino rises a mountain, on top of which, at the beginning of the 6th century, a pagan temple was still preserved. Benedict converted to Christianity those who still came to the temple with sacrifices, and the building was rebuilt into a church. He settled on the mountain, founding the monastery of Monte Cassino. Diverse communities of monks existed before. But they did not have any common rules, structure and organization. The founder of the first monastery in history became famous for developing all these norms.
The monks who began to live according to them formed the first religious order - the Benedictine. It emphasized two main principles: the economic autonomy of the monastery and kinovia (dormitory). The Rule of St. Benedict became the basis for other monastic orders, for example, the Cistercians, Trappists, Camaldolians and others. Here we should also mention the sister of the hero of our story. Already in her early youth, Scholastica decided to devote herself to God. She isrefused to marry and led a very pious life. And when she heard that her brother had settled on Mount Cassino, she founded a Benedictine monastery nearby. Thus, Scholasticism is the founder of female monasticism.
Rite of Saint Benedict
The Codex Regula Benedicti was written around 540. In this set of rules, Benedict brought together, rethought and classified the traditions of Eastern and ancient Gallic monasticism. To write his work, the founder of the first religious order studied the anonymous treatise "The Rules of the Teacher", as well as the charters of Basil of Caesarea, John Cassian, Pachomius the Great and Blessed Augustine.
Saint Benedict was one of the first to compare a monk with a "warrior of God". Therefore, he established the "Lord's Service Squad." The main vocation of a monk is militare. And, since a monk is equated with a soldier, a Charter is needed for such service. In the code of his rules, Benedict prescribed all the smallest details of cinovia. He says that if an individual monk takes a vow of poverty, this does not mean at all that the monastery cannot have we alth. The main virtue of the monk Benedict considered humility. Ora et labora (“Prayer and work”) became the motto of the Benedictines.
Death of Saint Benedict of Nursia
According to the Charter, developed by the founder of Western European monasticism, a monk must always spend the night in the monastery. After all, a person who has made vows to God, according to Saint Benedict, is a hermit, but not an anchorite. The monk leaves the worldly bustle in the wasteland, but does not avoid others of the sameservants of the Lord. Inokov Benedict often compared with warriors, and the monastery with a detachment. And the saint himself honored his Charter. She and her sister used to meet once a year in the town of Cassino and talk about spiritual topics.
Shortly before her death, Scholastica asked her brother to stay with her for the night in order to continue the conversation. But Benedict refused, referring to the Charter. Then Scholastica prayed to God and a terrible storm broke out. Willy-nilly, Benedict was forced to stay. And three days later he had a vision of a dove flying into the sky. Then he realized that Scholastica knew about the approaching death and wanted to say goodbye to her brother before her death. Benedict himself died in 547 and was buried in Montecassino.
Where are his relics?
Founded by Saint Benedict, the monastery of Montecassino was completely destroyed by the Lombards in 580. Later, the monastery was restored, but it was badly damaged during the Second World War. Researchers have suggested that the relics of Benedict and Scholastica are lost. There were hypotheses that their remains were transported to Subiaco (Italy), and possibly to France. But in 1950, when the architects were restoring the bombed-out monastery, they discovered well-preserved burials of a man and a woman in the crypt.
The role of the saint and his followers in the Christianization of Europe
After the destruction of the monastery by the Lombards, the Benedictines, with the blessing of Pope Gregory the Great, dispersed to different countries to evangelizethe peoples who lived there. Soon new monasteries arose in the Frankish kingdom, England, and in the 11th century they also appear in Eastern Europe. When the third orders became popular (organizations of pious believers who make vows but live in the world), the Benedictine order established the institution of oblets.
There have been attempts to make the Rule, written by Saint Benedict, the patron saint of monasticism, even more strict. Because of this, the orders of the Camaldules (founded by St. Romuald in the 11th century), Cistercians, and Trappists “spun off” from the Benedictines. We should remember another St. Benedict - Anian. He called for changing the Charter in the direction of complete asceticism, wearing a stern sackcloth, silence (except for divine services) and self-torture. From the ranks of the Benedictines came such prominent personalities as Anselm of Canterbury, Adalbert of Prague, St. Willibrord, Alcuin, Bede the Venerable, Peter Damian and other church leaders.
Saint Benedict in Orthodoxy
Byzantine and Roman Catholic churches radically diverged in the 11th century. Therefore, they mutually honor the saints who lived before the Great Schism (schism). Saint Benedict is one of them. Therefore, in the eyes of the Orthodox Church, he is worthy of veneration. The only difference between the Latin and Byzantine rites in relation to St. Benedict is in the calendar.
The Roman Catholic Church celebrates his day in the summer, July 11th. In Orthodoxy, the memory of St. Benedict is honored on March 27 (14). This day always falls on Great Lent. Therefore, the honoring of the saint is not as magnificent as inLatin rite. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia has at least five monasteries and churches of Saint Benedict.
Iconography
How to recognize Benedict in religious paintings? He is depicted as an old gray-bearded man in a black robe. But the founder of the monastic order himself did not invent either the cut of the Benedictine cassock or its color. When other religious congregations appeared, the need arose to distinguish monks. Nevertheless, the saint is depicted in the cassock of the order. In order not to confuse Benedict with other Benedictines, he is depicted with certain attributes.
Most often it is the famous Charter in the form of a thick book or a layout of the building of the monastery church. Also in his hands may be a cracked goblet (mention of poisoning), an abbey staff and a bunch of rods. A raven with a piece of bread is often depicted at the feet of the saint, since it is believed that during the hermitage in the cave, a bird brought food to the anchorite.
Pilgrimages
Despite the fact that the whole skeleton of St. Benedict was found in the crypt of Montecassino, you can bow to his relics in other places. The most famous outside of Italy is the monastery of Buron. It is located in Bavaria, in the foothills of the Alps. Because of the precious relic - the radius of the right hand of the saint - the monastery was renamed Benedictbourn. According to legend, King Charlemagne himself handed over the relics to the Bavarian monastery shortly before he was proclaimed Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (800). The bone can be seen in a precious reliquary whichcreated by the Munich jeweler Peter Streisel at the end of the 18th century. But, of course, it is better to make a pilgrimage to Monte Cassino to pray at the saint's grave.
Medallion of Benedict
But you can not go to distant lands. It is said that if you acquire the Medallion of St. Benedict, the machinations of the devil will bypass you. During his lifetime, the founder of monasticism venerated the Crucifixion and the Holy Gifts. They say he even died during the celebration of the liturgy. Therefore, on the medallion minted in honor of the saint, on one side, he himself is depicted holding a cross in one hand, and the Charter in the other.
There is an inscription in Latin around the edges, which can be translated as “May the presence (of this medallion) keep you during the hour of death. On the back you can see the holy cross. On it are placed the words: “Let my cross be light. God, don't let a dragon become my guide. This medallion helps save the soul of those who are unable to confess and receive unction on their deathbed.
Appeals to Benedict
Since the veneration of the hero of our story is shared by the Church of the Eastern Rite, the pronunciation of a prayer to St. Benedict is allowed by the Orthodox. By the way, it is also used by exorcists to exorcise the devil. But for ordinary believers, such a prayer is allowed: “O God, through the mediation of St. Benedict, descend Your blessing on this medallion, its letters and signs, so that whoever wears it can receive he alth in soul and body, salvation and the remission of sins.” It is believed that this is an appeal to the saintturns the medallion into a talisman. Therefore, after saying a prayer, the medallion cannot be sold.
