Regulate of Benoît saint

The rule of saint Benoît is written by Benoît de Nursie - work started in 529 - for the members of a order monastic known like the Ordre of saint Benoît. Beyond its great religious influence, it is one of the most important work written during the formation of the medieval Société, incarnating as a such idea of a written Constitution, and of an authority limited by the law. She addresses herself to initial monks, and more particularly to the beginners who prepare during one year with their future life of Moine.

Life of Benoit

Benoit de Nursie leaves side the comfort of the life of student in Rome about year 500 for the research of the Sainteté.

With this intention, he wrote a rule which falls under the context of a decline of the monastic life that he compares with the golden age Pères of the desert. Thus, Benoît writes a simple rule which sets up a firmly structured Community life, under the authority of a spiritual father, the Abbé. He organizes the life of the monks through three activities: manual work, divine reading and the Divine office. It privileges the personal prayer in order to have a more intimate communication with God and to bring to interior perfection. It also limits the ascetic requirements, which result in a stronger intensity at the time of the Lent in the imitation of Jesus-Christ. He also preaches the monastic virtues, like humility, the renouncement of oneself, charity.

He brought closer to the companions towards this life, and the plan of life which he establishes for these Monastiques is known like rules of Benoît saint. Its Communauté founded seems T it the monastery of the Mount-Cassin (Casino Goes up, in Italian), between Rome and Naples. The rule of Benoît saint was preserved thanks to the monks of the Mount-Cassin who, at the time of an attack of the Lombards, succeeded in saving the text of it. Gregoire Large the could thus include it in its Vie of saint Benoît .

This rule will become the base of the Monachisme in Occident.

The rule

The rule is summarized in the currency of the Ordre Benedictine: PAX (Peace). The life of monk or that of nun is divided into regular periods of sleep, prayer, of reading of the Holy Scripture, rest and of physical work. During posterior time the professional work and teaching replaced the agricultural work, the craft industries, and the other forms of manual work like the majority of the Christian people.

The model of the Monastic life under St Benoit was the family, with the Abbé similar to the father (abbas) and all the Religieux like brothers (nonnis). The Sacerdoce was initially an important share of the Monachisme - the priests offered their services to the Bishop of the place. So the female monachism with an abbess as mother worked in the same way that the men.

The day of the monk is based over 8 a.m. liturgical, 8 times per day the liturgical prayer must be accomplished. The schedules are defined according to the seasonal length of the day. The current equivalents are thus there only to give an order of idea.

The day starts at midnight, with the service of the Matines, followed office of premium, follow-up to the dawn by the song of the Laudes. Before the arrival of the candles of wax at the 14th century that was done in the darkness or with a minimum of lighting and one thinks that the monks learned all by heart. These offices could be very long, sometimes to the paddle but generally consisted in singing three Psaume S, three répons, a Leçon (reading of the Bible), and a Hymne, by adding each day the celebration of a local Saint. The monks withdrew themselves then for a few hours of sleep and then woke up at 6 a.m., washed themselves (and heard the mass). Then they were assembled in order to receive the instructions and orders for the day, as well as for the legal affairs. There was in more the time taken by the personal activities like the reading or work up to 9 hours of the morning, when “the office of third” was said, then came other work. To midday they said the office of sexte then lunched. After a short period of time for the nap, the monk could withdraw himself to the office of nun, towards 15:00. That made it was occupied with work in the garden and other services up to two hours before the twilight, towards 18:00, the Vêpres, then the Complies towards 19:00, and with final with the bed blessed before still rising soon for the crossbred ones.

Other Rules were written by or allotted to the principal founders of monastic order - the rules of Saint Pacôme and regulates it Saint-Basile in the Eastern Orthodoxie and the rules of other kinds Orientaux. Benedict realized undoubtedly of them, but with which degree to which the Rule bénédictine was based on a direct knowledge of these organizations is discussed more.

The rule of Saint Benoit is one of the work written most important in the formation of the Western company, the incarnation, as that must, the ideas of a written constitution, authority limited by law and under the terms of the law, a company without reference to birth, and one which in manual work is looked like a noble action and not derogating.

Monastic orders living under the rule of saint Benoit

Order of the Temple (1129-1312)
late Antiquity

References

'' The Holy Rule off St Benedict '', Edition of 1949 translated by rev. Boniface Verheyen, OSB off St Benedict' S Abbey, Atchison, Kansas.
“Controlled/sanctus Benedictus”

See too

List of the monastic rules

External bonds

Rule of saint Benoit translated into current French ( Original text in Latin )

Be-X-old: СтатутсьвятогаБэнэдыкта

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