Montecassino Monastery

I apologize that it has been so long since the last update of my travels. It has been very busy here in Italy. Taking classes, getting books and exploring the neighborhood.

On January 13th we took a trip to Montecassino Monastery. Montecassino is a small town about 80 miles south of Rome and is the home of the sacred relics and monastery of St. Benedict (480-543), the patron saint of Europe and the founder of western monasticism. Since its founding by St. Benedict in 529 AD, Montecassino Monastery has had a troubled history, suffering from repeated attacks, pillage and natural disasters. Most recently, it was the site of a terrible battle during World War II that resulted in great loss of life and complete destruction of the monastic buildings. The monastery has since been rebuilt.
We were able to tour the inside of the monastery and saw the great hall where those who survived the bombing in WWII took refuge, as well as the great door they escaped by after the bombing had finished. It was amazing to be able to see where St. Benedict himself slept and prayed.
Today there are 20 monks that stay at the monastery, ranging in ages from 26 to 92. We were also able to listen to the Vespri cantati (Vespers in english) which are the singing prayers. After the Vespri cantati we went down into a small hidden chapel to see where the remains of St. Benedict and his sister St. Scholastica are kept.