Book Description

St. Benedict of Norcia (480–547) is indisputably one of the most influential figures in the development of the culture and spirituality of Western Europe and is recognized as the “patriarch of all monks of the West.” Shortly after Benedict’s death, his monastery at Monte Cassino was destroyed by Lombard invaders. It was at that point that one of the greatest mysteries of medieval monasticism arose—the true location of the mortal remains of this revered saint. This volume presents the first English translations of key medieval texts relating to this famous mystery. These piquant narratives are filled with adventure, intrigue, and spellbinding wonder, in which imagination, history, folklore, and legend are freely intertwined. Within these pages, the reader will encounter fierce barbarian hordes, perilous quests to discover ancient tombs, ferocious dragons, man-eating wolves, mysterious visions, and enigmatic oracles. Here will be found tales of saints fleeing from papal forces under the shroud of darkness, phantasmagoric apparitions of dead monks, malicious poisonings, nocturnal attacks made on infants by venomous toads, levitating lamps, and a veritable multitude of other marvels. A translation of the striking account of St. Benedict’s life from the thirteenth-century Golden Legend is also included.