Order of Saint Benedict

The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they are the oldest of all the religious orders in the Latin Church. The male religious are also sometimes called the Black Monks, especially in English speaking countries, after the colour of their habits, although some, like the Olivetans, wear white. They were founded by Benedict of Nursia, a 6th-century Italian monk who laid the foundations of Benedictine mon

book of precepts

changes within medieval monasticism

community in Western Australia

anonymous sixth-century collection of monastic precepts

Re-emphasis of monastic rule at the expense of secular clergy in English religious communities in the late 10th century