Saint’s Life Story

His Early Life

Benedict was born in Languedoc, France around 747. His father, Aigulf, was the Count of Maguelone. So, Benedict was born into a noble, Visigothic family and given the Gothic name Witiza.

Witiza received a prestigious education at the court of Pepin, where he excelled in his studies. He entered the royal service as a page and courtier, being a cup-bearer to King Pepin III and Blessed Charlemagne. With his family history, education and work, Witiza was destined for a prestigious political and military career. In addition, Witiza served in the army of Lombardy, where he almost drowned in the Ticino River near Pavia, Italy while attempting to save his brother.

Benedictine Monk

This near-death experience profoundly impacted him and set him on a spiritual path, vowing to quit the world entirely. Seeking a deeper commitment to God, Witiza decided to become a Benedictine monk. Joining the monastery of Saint Sequanus, the Abbey of Saint-Seine, near Dijon, France, he officially took the name “Benedict”. During his early years in the monastery, Benedict began to study the different monastic rules of Saint Basil the Great, Saint Benedict of Nursia, Saint Columba, Saint Pachomius, among others.

In addition, Benedict was made cellarer, managing provisions, including food, drink, and fuel, and overseeing their storage and distribution.

As a monk, Benedict embraced a life of extreme asceticism, living on bread and water, sleeping on the bare ground, and spending his nights in prayer. He survived for two and a half years on bread and water alone while sleeping on the ground and going barefoot (even in the winter) as an expression of his devotion.

Founded Monastery of Aniane

During this time, the Frankish empire faced many challenges, including lay ownership of monastic properties and attacks from the Vikings. As a result, monastic discipline began to decay.

When the abbot died Benedict refused the abbacy offered him there because he knew his brothers were unwilling to reform. In response to this crisis, in 779, Benedict returned home to his estate at Languedoc, France, where he lived as a hermit near the brook of Aniane (Coriere), attracting numerous disciples. So, in 782, Benedict built a church and a monastery under the Benedictine rule in honor of his patron and name sake.

At this monastery, the monks employed themselves in manual labor and copying manuscripts. They lived on bread and water except on Sundays and great feast days when they added wine or milk if they received any in alms. Benedict is a man who acts as a sermon. He dictates strict rules and is the first to observe them, even before demanding their observance from others.

Benedict, with his will and his example, did not succeed in realizing the dream of very austere and free communities. However, Benedict did put a stop to relaxation, with all the very serious dangers that entails.

Abbot

Benedict’s passion for reform and his desire to restore monastic discipline led him to establish and reform other monasteries. He was accompanied by Saint Ardo, who served as his secretary and would later write Benedict’s biography. Benedict’s success there gave him considerable influence, which he used to found and reform a number of other monasteries, eventually becoming the effective abbot of all the monasteries of Charlemagne’s empire.

Controversy

In 794, Benedict found himself at the center of a theological controversy. Bishop Felix of Urgel proposed the heretical belief that Christ was only the adoptive, not the natural, son of God (Adoptionism). Benedict vehemently opposed this idea, vigorously refuting it in his writings, and played a crucial role in the Synod of Frankfurt, where the heresy was condemned.

Model Abbeys

Emperor Louis the Pious recognized Benedict’s immense wisdom and holiness. In recognition of his contributions to monastic life, the emperor built the abbey of Maurmunster in Alsace, France.

In 814, Louis, now Emperor, had Benedict built an abbey monastery on the river Inde in Belgium near Aachen, Germany. The monastery was at first called the “Monastery of the Redeemer on the Inde”, but came to be known as Cornelimünster Abbey. These became model abbeys for Benedict.

Additionally, he appointed Benedict as the director of all the monasteries in the empire. As director, Benedict initiated widespread reforms, aiming to restore discipline and enforce the Benedictine Rule. Despite facing opposition and resistance, these reforms had a lasting impact on Western monasticism.

The monastery of Aniane soon became a great spiritual and cultural center; under Benedict’s guidance, it came to count more than 300 monks. He led the synod of Aachen in 817, which determined that all monasteries in Louis’ kingdom should follow the Rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia.

Teacher and Author

Benedict’s dedication to the liturgical character of monastic life included the regular celebration of the Conventual Mass and enhancements to the Divine Office. He also emphasized the clerical element in monasticism, which led to the development of teaching and writing as essential aspects of monastic life.

In his role as an advisor and supporter of the emperor, Benedict wrote the following documents and treatises;

the Capitulare monasticum, a systematic exposition of the Benedictine Rule, which became the standard rule for all monks in the empire,
the Codex regularum, a compilation of all monastic regulations that would be binding for all their houses, and
the Concordia regularum, which highlighted the similarities between Benedict’s rule and those of other monastic leaders.

His Death

Benedict died at Cornelimünster Abbey in Aachen, Germany on February 11, 821, in the monastery Louis had built for him to serve as the base for Benedict’s supervisory work. On February 12, 821, Benedict was buried in the monastery church, where his relics remain and are attributed with the working of miracles.

Benedict is directly responsible for much of the monastic reform, and is considered the restorer of Western monasticism and is often called “the second Benedict”.

Born:                   Around 747 in Languedoc, France

Died:                   February 11, 821 in Cornelimünster Abbey, Aachen, Germany

Beatified:           Pre-Congregation

Canonized:        Pre-Congregation

Feast Day:         February 12, February 11 (on some calendars)

Patron Saint:     Aniane, France; Dijon, France

Source:

• • America Needs Fatima – Saint Benedict of Aniane
  • CatholicSaints.Info » Saint Benedict of Aniane
  • Saint Benedict of Aniane – Daily Compass
  • Saint Benedict of Aniane – Saint for a Minute: Saints & Blesseds
  • Benedict of Aniane – Wikipedia

Prayers

Video Link

St. Benedict of Aniane: Writing Holy Rules – YouTube Video (Awaken The Saint)