Saint Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-547) was sent to Rome to study, but the city was full of temptations. So Benedict retired as a hermit to a cave near the town of Subiaco and later founded the monastery of Monte Cassino. The essential rule of his School of Christ: "Prefer nothing to the love of God, walking with a free heart in the way of his commandments". He is the father of the monks of the West. His Rule of Saint Benedict is not very long, with 73 short chapters and a prologue. He was proclaimed Patron Saint of Europe by Pope Paul VI in 1964, and Benedictine monasticism has influenced the entire Western Church.
Sister of Saint Benedict, Saint Scholastica (480-547) became a nun near Monte Cassino, the first abbey founded by her brother in 529. She in turn founded the monastery of Piumarola, where she and her sisters followed the rule established by her brother, giving birth to the female branch of the Benedictine order.
Although they lived in nearby monasteries, they only saw each other once a year. At their last meeting, Scholastica begged her brother to prolong their discussion. Benedict refused, so his sister began praying and soon a storm broke out, preventing him from leaving. So they stayed up all night talking and didn't say goodbye until dawn. It was their last meeting.
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