St. Benedict Italian Statue, 12 inches

Product Description

This beautiful statue of St. Benedict was handcrafted by the Pelligrini family of artisans in the hills outside of Lucca, Italy, near Tuscany.

It measures 12 inches in height, and is made of resin. Makes a timeless gift and a wonderful addition to any room. Saint Benedict was born into a noble Roman family in 480. He was educated in Rome, but quickly became frustrated with the lack of discipline from the other students. He decided to remove himself by moving to a mountain cave near Subiaco and living as a hermit.

His dedication to God was so respected that the monks of a neighboring monastery asked him to be their abbot. Unfortunately, Saint Benedict's discipline was so harsh that the monks sought to remove him by poisoning his kidneys with tainted drink and bread. The attempt failed and he escaped back to his mountain refuge. Once, when his austere rules caused resentment in the monastery over which he was abbot, he faced attempted poisoning by means of a loaf of bread. But a raven carried away the deadly bread from the hand of St. Benedict. In 529, he founded the monastery in Monte Cassino under the Rule of the Benedictine Order, which was to become the basis of rule for all western monasteries.

He died in 543 and was canonized in 1220.

Saint Benedict is recognized today as the patron of those suffering from kidney disease. His feast day is July 11th.