But his rules reached far beyond the confines of a monastery—their effects rippled into medieval society and helped shape the world we know today.

A failed abbot early in his monastic life, Benedict went on to establish several prominent monasteries in the 6th century. More than a dozen monasteries in central Italy owed him their existence, including the famed Monte Cassino.

But perhaps his most impactful contribution was the guidebook he created for his monks.

He penned his masterpiece “The Rule of St. Benedict” for the brothers of Monte Cassino, who would afterwards take on the title of “Benedictines” after their founder.

The Rule of St. Benedict was simply a manual on how monks should live communally, one part spiritual, one part administrative. The Rule can best be summarized in the motto of the Benedictines: ora et labora—"pray and work".

His rulebook was intended as a moderate path between the extreme asceticism of solitary monks and the more formal institutions of the Church at the time.

This “middle way” emphasized the practices of prayer, but also manual labor and community service.

Benedict’s Rule broke the monastic day into regular periods of prayer, spiritual reading, and manual labor, living out the concept that “ in all [things] God may be glorified."

Farming, crafts, tending to the sick, and instructing pupils all fell under the purview of monks.

Later, “intellectual labor” like scientific and medical research, study of literature, and copying ancient texts would be common tasks as well.

Each day was divided into a strict schedule revolving around the eight canonical hours. Starting at midnight, a monk arose with a series of readings, chants, and spiritual lessons before returning back to bed and to wash before 6 a.m. prayers and instructions for the day.

Then, more spiritual readings and mass would occupy the monks’ morning until a midday meal was shared. Leisure activities were allowed until 3 p.m.; afterwards the monks would do manual labor until Vespers (evening prayer) at 6 p.m. At 9 p.m., bedtime.

“Idleness is the enemy of the soul,” Benedict wrote in his work. Thus, the rigid schedule of his Rule was a form of spiritual warfare to keep adherents’ minds always focused on God.

Benedict's work wasn’t the first attempt at a monastic rule—previous works like the Rule of St. Basil and the writings by St. John Cassian as well as an anonymous work, the Rule of the Master, influenced his approach.

But Benedict’s Rule was more developed and all-encompassing.

The work exploded in popularity far beyond Monte Cassino. Orders like the Cistercians, Cluniacs, and Trappists adopted his method. Groups of nuns, too, followed his Rule since it wasn’t gender specific.

It was a template for all religious life in the West.

Charlemagne, an emphatic supporter of the Church, thought it so important that he had the work copied and distributed throughout his empire to encourage monks to follow it as a standard.

But the effects of Benedict’s Rule spilled out into the secular world too.

It served as an early example of a written constitution and embodied the idea of the “rule of law.” Moreover, it incorporated democratic elements in a highly hierarchical society and brought a dignity to manual labor that was so often overlooked by the pursuit of martial prowess.

As monks busied themselves with scientific and medical inquiry, breakthroughs were made. Some of the earliest western astronomers and natural scientists were Benedictine monks.

For example, Herman the Cripple, an 11th-century Benedictine, composed works on history, music theory, mathematics, and astronomy, in addition to well-known hymns like "Salve Regina" and "Veni Sancte Spiritus."

Benedictines proved “science vs. religion” was a false dichotomy.

Universities can even be traced to Benedictine monasteries.

Colleges in the late middle ages stemmed from earlier monastic schools. Benedict didn’t invent monastic schools, but his way of life was conducive to intellectual study, and these schools flourished under his method.

Hospitals, too, have roots in Benedictine monasteries that took special care to tend to the sick. A focus on hospitality and medical care was one of Benedict’s primary concerns. He incorporated this principle into his Rule, making it widespread throughout western monasticism.

The early Middle Ages have been called "the Benedictine centuries” due to his immense impact. Pope Benedict XVI, a pope bearing his very name, said of him:

“St. Benedict exercised a fundamental influence on the development of European civilization and culture”

No figure contributed more to monasticism in the West than Benedict. His Rule was foundational for thousands of religious communities throughout the medieval period, and remains the basis for dozens of monastic orders today.

The popular adage “discipline = freedom” is embodied in Benedict’s Rule. His methodical approach to living resulted in cultural, scientific, and spiritual prosperity wherever it was applied.

Benedict proved that Ora et Labora, “Work and Prayer,” is a civilization-building ethos