In this category we have gathered all the religious objects which concern Saint Benedict, the patriarch of the monks of the West.
Saint Benedict is well known for his medal which is a powerful protection against the devil and all evil influences. You will find on our religious shop medals of Saint Benedict of different sizes and in various materials. The Christian piety did not stop there, but associated the crucifix with the medal to give what is called the crucifix of Saint Benedict of which you will find different models in the list of the religious products presented on this page.
But the greatness of St. Benedict is not found in the renown of these objects of piety. But his real title of glory is due to the fact that he is the patriarch of the monks of the West. St. Benedict (480 - 547) is not the founder of monasticism in Europe; for example in Gaul it was preceded by St. Martin of Tours. But by his most holy life and the great wisdom of his rule, the monasticism resulting from his impulse has invaded all Europe. Around the year 800 with St. Benedict of Aniane and Charlemagne the rule of St. Benedict supplanted all other rules. What makes the strength of this rule is its discretion. At the same time it invites the weak not to get discouraged and stimulates the strong to do more. To know better the life of Saint Benedict you can read the book of Dom Bernard Maréchaux, "Saint Benoît, messager de paix", present on this page. It is therefore with good reason that Pope Paul VI constituted St. Benedict as patron of Europe. In our time when the Christian roots of Europe are being questioned, Saint Benedict reminds us of all the civilizing work of the Benedictine monks. During the troubled times of the first part of Middle Ages, the cloisters were the safeguard of letters and sciences. If the monks were not at the scriptorium to transcribe the manuscripts they were out to turn those immense forests into cultivable land. Let us pray to Saint Benedict for Europe and especially France, to recover its faith.
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