● The Monastery underwent several destruction and it was rebuilt
several times.
History of the Monastery
529 The Monastery was founded by St. Benedict on the ruins of pagan
temple dedicated to Apollo. Has been a Christian Cultural Centre
since its origins
FACTS It has undergone a lot of vicissitudes throughout the centuries
577 Destroyed by Lombard but in the VIII century it was rebuilt
willingness to Pope Gregory II
883 Invaded by Saracens, they plundered and fired it. (A lot of monks
died)
1349 Earthquake
1944 Bombardment
1955 Reconstruction
St. Benedict of Nursia 480-547
➔ one of many Abbots who wrote a Rule for his monks in the 6th century.
➔ After living as a hermit he had established monasteries at
Subiaco and Monte Cassino in Italy
“These were destroyed by the Barbarian invasions but a few manuscripts of his
Rule survived and were carried by refugees to other Monasteries in Rome, North
Italy and Gaul.”
Benedictine Influence
1. The Benedictines enshrined work as a means to glorify God
a. The Benedictines preserved ancient texts.
b. Virtually every ancient text that survived to the eighth century has
survived to today.
2. The Benedictines were pioneers in all forms of agriculture.
a. farmlands once were marshes or swamps that were very difficult to
cultivate.
b. But the monks took it upon themselves to turn barren lands into
productive farmlands.
Although they cleared forests that stood in the way of
human habitation and use, the monks were also careful to
plant trees and conserve forests when possible. 🤩
3. INDUSTRIES
➔ Benedictine monks developed:
◆ Sweden's commerce in corn,
◆ Ireland's salmon fisheries, and
◆ Para, Italy's cheese making. "Please pass the Parmesan cheese.
Thank you monks." 😂
➔ Also Improved:
◆ Cattle Breeding
◆ Production of wine
Things to keep in mind
In 1531, Benedictine monks at the Abbey of Saint Hilaire in France
made sparkling wine. In the late 1600s, Dom Perignon of Saint Peter’s
Abbey didn’t invent champagne but became famous for improving
how it was made, including using wire to keep the cork in place.
4. Architecture
➔ contributed to medieval church architecture.
➔ Directed spring waters to Paris, taught whole regions the art of irrigation.
➔ expanded the use of waterpower devices throughout Europe.
◆ Waterpower was used for crushing wheat, sieving flour, full cloth
and tanning.
5. Inventions
➔ A Benedictine monk made the first modern clock in about 996 AD.
➔ About 1200 AD a Benedictine monk built and tested a glider that went 600
feet.
➔ The English Benedictines developed advanced furnaces for the
production of metals —specifically the extraction of iron from ore.
Metallurgy skills
➔ being leading iron producers.
➔ Slag from furnaces was used as fertiliser due to the high phosphate
content
6. The Carolingian minuscule became the new standard for writing.
➔ Benedictine monks, like Abbot Fredegise of Saint Martin’s Abbey (early
800s AD), helped develop this improved writing system.
➔ Before this, Europe had many different scripts, including ones with all
capital letters and no punctuation.
➔ Abbot Fredegise’s work introduced lowercase letters, spaces between
words, and punctuation.
➔ These changes made reading and writing easier, leading to widespread
learning and the growth of civilization.
7. During times of upheaval, invasions, and cultural collapse, Benedictine
monasteries remained centers of beauty and learning.
➔ They provided stability through prayer, work, and reading.
➔ These core Benedictine values played a key role in shaping one of the
greatest civilizations in history.
8. THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT
➔ is considered one of the most important books in European civilization.
➔ It serves as a guide for monks, sisters, and nuns in their spiritual lives.
➔ St. Benedict’s goal was to help people live in communion with God
The Spread of the Rule
➔ Over two centuries, the Rule of St. Benedict became widely adopted.
➔ This led to Saint Benedict being recognized as the founder of the Black
Monks of the Middle Ages. From that time, they became known as the
Order of St. Benedict (OSB).
9. Benedictine Legacy: Popes, Cardinals & Saints
➔ By the 1500s, the Benedictines had greatly influenced the Church,
producing 24 popes, 200 cardinals, 7,000 archbishops, 15,000 bishops, and
1,500 canonized saints.
➔ St. Benedict, living during a time of chaos and war, was guided by a
simple principle: "Prefer nothing to the love of Christ."
