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Toward the end of the third century St. Anthony the Great led a movement of such
persons (in effect the first monks) from the bustling world to the stillness of
the desert. Life devoted to prayer and service in community was also
widespread.
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As the sixth century unfolded, St. Benedict of Nursia
founded such an abbey at Monte Cassino in southern Italy. His Rule for
Monks remains the most influential and enduring document of western
monasticism. |
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The
Cistercians |
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