Benedictine order
Also called: Rule of St Benedict · Topic: Medieval Europe: Feudalism and the Three Orders · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"; Class 11, Ch 4 "The Three Orders"
Meaning
The Benedictine order was a community of monks that followed rules written by St Benedict. Monks promised to live their whole lives in the monastery and spend their time in prayer, study and manual labour (work done with the hands). The Benedictine rule became a model for monastic life in medieval Europe.
Example
St Benedict set up a monastery in Italy in 529. His rule had 73 chapters. Monks were rarely allowed to speak. Humility meant obedience. No monk could own private property. The rule said 'idleness is the enemy of the soul', so monks had set hours for manual labour and holy reading, and everything they needed was kept inside the monastery.
Don't confuse with
- Friars: from the thirteenth century, friars moved from place to place, preaching and living on charity. Benedictine monks stayed in their monastery for life.
- Cluny: a separate abbey (monastery) set up in Burgundy in 910.