Monks who follow the Rule of St Benedict, compiled in the sixth century by St Benedict of Nursia for his monks of Monte Cassino. From the ninth century this became the blueprint for Western monasticism. Members of the Order take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and pledge stability to the monastery and the way of life. Their customary clothing is a black habit, which symbolises humility. The Benedictine Order dominated religious observance from the sixth century until the late eleventh century when its monopoly was challenged by the emergence of new religious orders such as the Cistercians, Carthusians and Tironensians.
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