Benedict was born in the year 480. He died on 21st March 547, at the age of 67. We celebrate the feast of St. Benedict on the 11th of July.
Benedict was born in a noble Roman family, in Nursia, Central Italy, roughly 100 miles north-east of Rome. His father was a Prefect of the Western Roman Empire. He had a twin sister named Scholastica who also became a Saint. She established the first Benedictine community of women at the age of 67.
As a youth, Benedict was sent to Rome for studies, but he was disappointed by the bad behaviour of his classmates. At the age of 20, he left his studies in Rome to seek a life of more value. He moved to the countryside about 40 miles from Rome, accompanied by his nurse who cared for him like a mother. They moved in with some holy men in the Church of St. Peter. There his nurse accidentally broke a dish used to sift wheat. She was very upset. Seeing this Benedict miraculously mended the dish and returned it to her. News of this spread quickly and Benedict became the talk of the town.
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