Around the year 480, a boy named Benedict was born in Nursia (a small town in the mountains of Italy).

His family was noble and wealthy! He had a twin sister named Scholastica.

His parents wanted Benedict to have the best education!

So, when he was about 14 years old, they sent him to study in Rome - the greatest city in the world!

Benedict went full of enthusiasm! He was going to study rhetoric, philosophy, law!

But what he found in Rome shocked him deeply...

Decadent Rome

Rome in the 5th century was no longer the great empire!

It was in moral and spiritual decay!

Students lived immorally! Constant parties! Drunkenness! Sexual immorality!

Even the professors were corrupt! They taught only to make money!

Benedict looked at all this with horror!

"I came to learn wisdom! But here there is only madness!" he thought.

He prayed: "Lord, I don't want to lose myself in this city! What should I do?"

The Great Decision

One day, Benedict had to decide!

His classmates invited him to a party full of bad things!

"Come on, Benedict! Don't be boring! Enjoy life!"

Benedict felt in his heart: "If I stay here, I'll lose myself! I need to leave!"

So, at 14 years old, Benedict did something radical:

He abandoned his studies! He left Rome! He left everything!

Without telling his parents! Without graduating! Without a plan!

Only an elderly nurse, Cyrilla, accompanied him!

Enfide and the First Miracle

Benedict and Cyrilla went to Enfide (a small village in the mountains)!

There, they lived simply, praying much!

One day, Cyrilla borrowed a capisterium (grain sieve) from the neighbors!

Accidentally, she dropped it and it broke in two parts!

Cyrilla cried! "What will I tell the owners? We have no money to pay!"

Benedict saw her distress and felt compassion!

He took the two parts, knelt, and prayed intensely!

When Benedict finished praying and looked...

The sieve was completely restored! Without any mark of breakage!

Cyrilla was amazed! "It's a miracle!"

The news spread through the village! "Benedict is a saint! God works miracles through him!"

People began seeking him asking for prayers and advice!

But Benedict didn't want fame! He didn't want attention!

"I need to flee! I need to be alone with God!" he decided.

The Cave in Subiaco

Benedict fled to the wild mountains near Subiaco!

There, a hermit monk named Romanus found him!

Romanus understood Benedict's desire: "You want to live only for God?"

"Yes! I want to hide from the world and seek only God!"

Romanus led Benedict to a steep and isolated cave!

It was a dark, cold grotto, difficult to reach! Perfect for hiding!

"I'll help you in secret!" Romanus promised.

Benedict was only 15 years old when he entered that cave!

And there he stayed for three years!

Completely alone! Only with God!

Romanus came down daily with a basket of bread tied to a rope!

He rang a bell so Benedict would know the food had arrived!

Other than that, Benedict saw no one! Spoke to no one!

He only prayed, meditated, fasted!

Terrible Temptations

But living alone wasn't easy!

The devil attacked Benedict with terrible temptations!

The worst was a memory that returned: before leaving Rome, Benedict had seen a beautiful woman!

Now, in solitude, this image kept coming back to mind!

The temptation became so strong that Benedict almost gave up!

"I'll go back to Rome! I'll get married! I can't stand this struggle anymore!"

He was about to leave the cave...

But suddenly, God's grace touched him!

Benedict looked and saw a bush full of thorns and nettles!

In a radical decision, he took off all his clothes and rolled in the thorns!

His body was all scratched! Bleeding! Hurting terribly!

But the physical pain killed the temptation!

"I prefer pain in the body than sin in the soul!" Benedict shouted!

And from that moment on, he was never tempted in that way again!

He won! By God's grace and by his own radical determination!

Fame Grows

After three years, shepherds discovered Benedict in the cave!

At first, they thought he was a wild animal!

Benedict had long hair and beard! Thin! Wearing animal skins!

But when he spoke, the shepherds realized: "He's a holy man!"

The news spread! "There's a holy hermit in the mountains!"

People began visiting him asking for prayers and advice!

Benedict didn't want it, but accepted with humility!

The Monks' Invitation

Nearby, there was a monastery of monks!

When the abbot (leader) died, the monks came to ask Benedict:

"Be our new abbot! Lead us!"

Benedict hesitated: "I don't know if I'm suitable... You are undisciplined!"

"We promise to obey! Please come!"

Benedict, always obedient to God's will, accepted!

He left his beloved cave and went to lead the monks!

Rejected Discipline

But soon Benedict discovered the problem!

The monks wanted a holy abbot... but didn't want a holy life!

Benedict established rules: prayer times, fasts, work, silence!

The monks complained: "Too rigorous! Too difficult!"

"We are here to serve God, not ourselves!" Benedict responded.

But the monks didn't accept!

They got angry! "We need to get rid of him!"

The Murder Attempt

The bad monks made a terrible plan: poison Benedict!

They mixed deadly poison in wine!

At dinner time, they brought the chalice to Benedict!

But Benedict, as was his custom, raised his hand to bless the wine!

The moment he made the sign of the cross...

The chalice EXPLODED into a thousand pieces! As if struck by a stone!

The poisoned wine spilled on the floor!

Benedict looked at the monks and understood everything!

But he wasn't angry! He was sad!

"Brothers, I warned you that my life didn't match yours!"

"God revealed your evil plan to save me!"

"I will leave! Find another abbot who accepts your indiscipline!"

And Benedict returned to his cave in peace!

The monks were ashamed, but didn't repent!

The First True Disciples

Back at the cave, Benedict didn't stay alone for long!

Sincere young men began to come: "We want to learn from you! We want to serve God!"

This time they were different! They truly wanted holiness!

Benedict accepted them and began to form them!

He taught them to pray! To work! To live in community!

Soon there were so many that Benedict founded twelve small monasteries around Subiaco!

Each with twelve monks and a superior!