Medieval monasteries all followed a set of rules first worked out by Saint Benedict. |
Benedict was born about A.D. 480 at Nursia in Italy. As a young man, he was shocked by the wickedness he saw in Rome. |
He left the city and found a cave, where he decided to live as a hermit, spending all his time trying to get closer to God by praying.
Many people heard of Benedict and came to visit him and hear his ideas about how people could live in a simple, holy way. Some remained to live nearby and become monks like him. They began to ask Benedict to lead them. |
For many years, Benedict and his followers lived like this. Then a new idea came to him. |
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