St.benedict

Life inside the monastery

Before dawn, the ringing of the bell announces the beginning of the day, which opens with a prayer. In Church the monks recite the nocturne and finish with matins. It is then the start of the working day. Each monk has his own job to undertake and work continues uninterrupted until Mass, the high point of monastic life. At lunchtime the Angelus is rung: in the refectory the abbot blesses the food and the reader, as laid down in the Rule, reads a passage from the Holy Scriptures during the meal. At the table, the monks serve each other, taking weekly turns. At the end of the meal the monks return to their work until the bell chimes for dinner. After a simple and quick meal the Monastery is immersed in silence: it is the time for compline, the evening prayer, the last act to conclude a long and industrious day for the monks. From compline to the next morning, when the nocturne is finished, no one is permitted to break the silence without a very important reason.