Born around the year 480 in Nursia, a mountain village northeast of Rome, Benedict and Scholastica were twins from a noble Roman family. Their parents, Anicius Euproprius and Claudia Abundantia Reguardati, raised them in a household of privilege and early faith.
The twins were raised together until Benedict was sent to Rome for classical studies. However, life in Rome and its growing corruption deeply disturbed Benedict.
Longing for silence and virtue, Benedict left Rome and fled to Subiaco, where he lived as a hermit for three years. His only contact was a monk named Romanus, who supported him by providing him with food.
Eventually, Benedict was discovered by a group of monks who asked him to become their spiritual leader. He accepted, but when the monks resisted his strict rule and even attempted to poison him, he quietly returned to Subiaco and soon attracted a great number of followers.
Later, Benedict moved to Monte Cassino and founded the Abbey of Monte Cassino (now known as the first Benedictine monastery), where he wrote the Rule of Benedict–a guide that would shape monastic life for centuries.
Meanwhile, Scholastica, inspired by her brother’s devotion, founded a women’s religious community about five miles from Monte Cassino. Although they lived apart, the twins remained deeply connected.
Once a year, before Lent, Benedict and Scholastica would meet at a house near Monte Cassino, wherein they would spend the day in prayer and conversation of God, love, and heaven.
Scholastica, sensing her end was near, asked Benedict to stay with her after dinner and until the next day so that they could continue their discussions.
However, Benedict refused to break his rules. Sensing she could not convince him, Scholastica prayed to God to move his heart so that they may be able to spend more time together.
Suddenly, a violent storm arose, making it impossible for Benedict to return to the monastery. Benedict cried out, “What have you done, sister?” Scholastica then replied, “I asked a favor of you and you refused. I asked God and He granted it.”
And so, they spent the night continuing their discussion, then Benedict left the next morning. Three days later, while looking up at the sky from his room, Benedict saw Scholastica’s soul rise to heaven in the form of a dove. Overcome with awe and gratitude, he gave thanks to God.
At her passing, the monks and nuns mourned and prayed. Benedict consoled them, saying, “Weep not, my sisters and brothers; for assuredly Jesus has taken her, before us, to be our aid and defense against all our enemies, that we may remain standing on the evil day and be perfect in all things.”
In the year 547 (four years after Scholastica’s death), Benedict passed away, and tradition holds that he was buried in the same tomb as his sister — a beautiful testament to their bond as twins and as servants of God.
Today, St. Benedict of Nursia is honored as the father of Western monasticism, and St. Scholastica as a model of faithful prayer. Together, their lives remind us of the power of prayer, the beauty of community, and the sacred bond of family rooted in God.
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How powerful it must be to have a twin—not just in body, but in spirit—whose very life calls you to greater virtue, deeper prayer, and unwavering faith.
Such was the bond between St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, siblings united not just by blood, but by a shared vocation to holiness and a mission of compassion and spiritual renewal.
May their story serve as a beacon of hope—a reminder that we can aspire to reach heights not in isolation but in communion. In this age where individualism often reigns supreme, the Twin Saints inspire us to walk with others in pursuit of something greater than ourselves.