However,
Benedict felt that the monks were too lax in their
observance and he sought to make their life more
disciplined.
As
a result, the monks tried to poison him, first with
poisoned bread, which a raven took away, and then
with poisoned wine; when Benedict blessed the wine,
the cup broke. He realized what was happening and
left.
He returned to the hills
of Subiaco where he lived once more on his own with
God. Little by little, young men came to join him
there, so that his hermitage became a monastery.
They became so many that he founded twelve monasteries
in the area, as well as Montecassino, further to
the south, where his relics are venerated today.
He
was forced to leave Subiaco because of the jealousy
of a local priest, and it was Montecassino that made
Benedict famous. He preached to the local people,
converting them to Christ. He was known as a compassionate
holy man who worked many miracles. On one occasion
he confronted the violence of a barbarian king, Totila;
on another occasion, the power of his prayer miraculously
set free a poor man imprisoned by a cruel barbarian
called Zalla.
While Benedict was at
Montecassino he finished his famous Rule (c. 520).
This is the foundation of all Western monasticism,
and is still followed (with appropriate adaptation
for life in the twenty-first century) in Benedictine
and Cistercian monasteries today. The Rule is known
for its moderation in comparison with those which
preceded it, as well as for its sensitivity to individual
needs. Benedict divides the day between work, prayer
and sleep, whence the famous catchphrase of Benedictinism,
ora et labora (pray and work).
Benedict is said to
have died in 547. Thanks to the work monks have done
in the education and civilisation of Europe, as well
as in spreading Christianity, Pope Paul VI declared
St Benedict to be Patron of Europe.
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