Venerable Benedict of Nursia

Venerable Benedict of Nursia was born around 480 in the town of Nursia (modern Norcia, Italy) to a noble family. Sent to study in Rome as a youth, he was repelled by the city's moral decline and withdrew to a solitary place near Subiaco, spending three years as a hermit under the guidance of the monk Romanus. Disciples gathered around him, drawn by his ascetic life and gift of wonderworking; he founded twelve small monasteries near Subiaco, and around 529 established the famous monastery on Monte Cassino, which became the cradle of Western monasticism. There he composed his Rule, later adopted by most monasteries of Western Europe and forming the basis of the Benedictine order — marked by moderation, the balance of prayer and manual labor ("ora et labora"), and discernment. He reposed on March 21, 547, at Monte Cassino. Venerated by the Orthodox Church as a saint of the undivided Church.