BENEDICT OF NURSIA, SAINT

born c. 480, , Nursia, Kingdom of the Lombards died c. 547, ; feast day July 11, formerly March 21 Nursia also spelled Norcia founder of the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino and father of Western monasticism; the rule that he established became the norm for monastic living throughout Europe. In 1964, in view of the work of monks following the Benedictine Rule in the evangelization and civilization of so many European countries in the Middle Ages, Pope Paul VI proclaimed him the patron saint of all Europe. Additional reading Life and spirit. O.J. Zimmermann and B.R. Avery, Life and Miracles of St. Benedict (1949), an Eng. trans. of bk. ii of the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great; E.C. Butler, Benedictine Monachism, 2nd. ed. (1924, reprinted 1962), the best account of the Rule and spirit of Benedict. Rule. Latin-English editions by O. Hunter-Blair, The Rule of Our Most Holy Father St. Benedict, 4th ed. (1934); and by J. McCann, The Rule of St. Benedict, in Latin and English (1952). For controversy on authorship, see A. de Vogue, La Rgle du Matre, 3 vol. (Latin text, French trans., excellent introduction and notes, 1964-65). For a short account, see D. Knowles in Great Historical Enterprises (1963). The standard critical (but also much criticized) Latin text of the Rule is R. Hanslik, Regula (1960).