Saint Benedict of Aniane Biography
Saint Benedict of Aniane Biography, Feast Day, Date of Birth, Country of Birth, Profession, Place of Work, Date of Death, Place of Death, Beatification Date, Canonization Date |
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| Date of Birth | 747 AD |
|---|---|
| Country of Birth | France of Europe |
| Matrimony/Holy Orders | Saints who were Monks |
| Profession | Missionary work |
| Place of Work | Germany |
| Date of Death | 11 February 821 |
| Place of Death | Aachen, Germany |
| Feast Day | February 12, February 12 |
| Beatification | Beatified by N/A |
| Canonization | Canonized by Pre-Congregation |
| Patron Saint of | N/A |
Saint Benedict of Aniane Biography
Saint Benedict of Aniane was born of the Count of Maguelone. He was educated at the court of Blessed Charlemagne and King Pepin. He narrowly escaped drowning in Pavia, Italy while trying to save his brother.
Benedict became a Benedictine monk at Saint Sequanus monastery where he took the name, Benedict. He lived on bread and water for two and a half years sleeping on bare ground and praying the whole night. In the Frankish empire, monasticism suffered ownership(lay) and attacks from the Vikings.
Its discipline decayed and in 779 AD, Benedictine founded the Aniane monastery on his own land where the monk did manual labor while still living on bread and water alone.
The results of his rule were disappointing forcing him to adopt the Benedictine rule where he grew and started other houses. Saint Ardo walked with him acting as his secretary.
When Bishop Felix of Urgel had a proposal that Christ was not the natural but only the adoptive son of God, he opposed the heresy and wrote against it assisting in the Synod of Frankfurt in 794 AD. Emperor Louis the Pious built the abbey of Maurmuster as a model abbey for him in Alsace, France and made Benedictine the director of all the monasteries in the empire.
Benedictine participated in the synods in Aachen. He was an advisor and supporter of the emperor and wrote the Capitulare monasticum, A system for the Benedictine rule as the rule for all monks in the empire.
Benedict also compiled the Codex regularum, a collection of all monastic regulations and Concordia regularum, showing the similarity between the Benedictine Rule and those of other monastic leaders. These rules stressed individual poverty and chastity with adherence to a properly constituted abbot.
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