---
title: "St. Benedict of Nursia: Feast Day July 11, Life & Quotes"
url: https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/
description: "St. Benedict of Nursia, Abbot, patron of Europe, monks, and students. Feast day July 11, died c. 547. Read their life and their own words, with sources."
---

Abbot · Feast day July 11

# St. Benedict of Nursia

The feast day of St. Benedict of Nursia is July 11, a memorial in the US Catholic calendar. Traditionally invoked as patron of Europe, monks, and students. Below: a short life and 5 sourced quotations in their own words.

|  |  |
|---|---|
| Feast day | [July 11](https://blessbible.app/saints/july/#11) |
| In the US calendar | Memorial |
| Title | Abbot |
| Died | c. 547 |
| Patron of | [Europe](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#europe), [monks](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#monks), [students](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#students) |
| In their own words | [5 sourced quotations](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#words) |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | [Sunday, July 11, 2027](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#calendar) |

## Life

Born at Nursia and educated at Rome, Benedict fled the city’s corruption for a cave at Subiaco, where disciples gathered around his holiness. At Monte Cassino he wrote his Rule — moderate, humane, and shrewd — around the rhythm later summed up as ora et labora, pray and work.

The Rule became the foundation of Western monasticism; the monasteries that kept it carried learning, agriculture, and the Gospel through the Dark Ages. He is patron of Europe.

## Patron of

Tradition invokes St. Benedict of Nursia as patron of Europe, monks, and students.

[Europe](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#europe) [Monks](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#monks) [Students](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#students)

### Saints with the same patronage

- [St. Catherine of Siena](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-catherine-of-siena/) Europe · April 29
- [St. Bridget of Sweden](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bridget-of-sweden/) Europe · July 23
- [St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-teresa-benedicta-of-the-cross/) Europe · August 9
- [St. Anthony of Egypt](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-anthony-of-egypt/) monks · January 17
- [St. Thomas Aquinas](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-thomas-aquinas/) students · January 28
- [St. Isidore of Seville](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-isidore-of-seville/) students · April 4
- [St. Aloysius Gonzaga](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-aloysius-gonzaga/) students · June 21
- [St. Catherine of Alexandria](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-catherine-of-alexandria/) students · November 25

Patronages are traditional, not an official list. [All patron saints in Bless, A to Z](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/).

## In their own words

Each quotation names the work it comes from. Bless quotes these in the comments beside the verses listed under [In Scripture](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#scripture).

> Listen, my son, to the precepts of your master, and incline the ear of your heart.

— *Rule of St. Benedict, prologue*, c. 530

> Prefer nothing whatever to Christ.

— *Rule of St. Benedict, ch. 4*, c. 530

> Let nothing be preferred to the Work of God.

— *Rule of St. Benedict, ch. 43*, c. 530

> Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, I came as a guest, and you received Me.

— *Rule of St. Benedict, ch. 53*, c. 530

> Keep death daily before your eyes.

— *Rule of St. Benedict, ch. 4*, c. 530

## In Scripture

In Bless, St. Benedict of Nursia’s words appear in the comments beside these verses. This page’s labels say how each is linked: “on this verse” means the saint wrote about that very verse; “on this theme” means the quotation shares its theme. Scripture is quoted from the Catholic Public Domain Version.

1. On this theme
   > be numbered? So make known your right hand, along with men learned in heart, in wisdom.
   — [Psalm 89:12](https://blessbible.app/bible/psalms/89/#v12) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Keep death daily before your eyes.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q77)
2. On this theme
   > If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts:
   — [Psalm 94:8](https://blessbible.app/bible/psalms/94/#v8) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Listen, my son, to the precepts of your master, and incline the ear of your heart.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q73)
3. On this theme
   > Seven times a day, I uttered praise to you about the judgments of your justice.
   — [Psalm 118:164](https://blessbible.app/bible/psalms/118/#v164) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Let nothing be preferred to the Work of God.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q75)
4. On this theme
   > My son, pay attention to my sermons, and incline your ear to my eloquent words.
   — [Proverbs 4:20](https://blessbible.app/bible/proverbs/4/#v20) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Listen, my son, to the precepts of your master, and incline the ear of your heart.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q73)
5. On this theme
   > And reach out your hand to the poor, so that your atonement and your blessing may be perfected.
   — [Sirach 7:36](https://blessbible.app/bible/sirach/7/#v36) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Keep death daily before your eyes.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q77)
6. On this theme
   > Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter above me is not worthy of me.
   — [Matthew 10:37](https://blessbible.app/bible/matthew/10/#v37) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Prefer nothing whatever to Christ.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q74)
7. On this theme
   > For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in;
   — [Matthew 25:35](https://blessbible.app/bible/matthew/25/#v35) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, I came as a…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q76)
8. On this theme
   > And yet only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the best portion, and it shall not be taken away from her.”
   — [Luke 10:42](https://blessbible.app/bible/luke/10/#v42) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Let nothing be preferred to the Work of God.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q75)

2 more verses

1. On this theme
   > Yet truly, I consider everything to be a loss, because of the preeminent knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of everything, considering it all to be like dung, so that I may gain Christ,
   — [Philippians 3:8](https://blessbible.app/bible/philippians/3/#v8) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Prefer nothing whatever to Christ.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q74)
2. On this theme
   > And do not be willing to forget hospitality. For by it, certain persons, without realizing it, have received Angels as guests.
   — [Hebrews 13:2](https://blessbible.app/bible/hebrews/13/#v2) · CPDV
   Beside their words: [“Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, I came as a…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#q76)

## In the calendar

The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Benedict of Nursia. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.

| Date | In the US calendar | Color | Mass readings (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Sunday, July 11, 2027](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2027/07/11/) | Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Green | Amos 7:12-15 · Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 · Ephesians 1:3-14 or 1:3-10 · Cf. Ephesians 1:17-18 · Mark 6:7-13 |
| [Tuesday, July 11, 2028](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2028/07/11/) | St. Benedict, Abbot (Memorial) | White | Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13 · Psalm 115:3-4, 5-6, 7ab-8, 9-10 · John 10:14 · Matthew 9:32-38 |

Readings

Later citations were computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.

[July 10 Sts. Rufina and Secunda](https://blessbible.app/saints/sts-rufina-and-secunda/) [July 12 Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin](https://blessbible.app/saints/sts-louis-and-zelie-martin/)

[All the saints of July](https://blessbible.app/saints/july/) [Born on July 11?](https://blessbible.app/saints/birthday/#07-11) [A saint for every day](https://blessbible.app/saints/)

Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here.

St. Benedict of Nursia

Feast day July 11

On this page

1. [Life](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#life)
2. [Patron of](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#patron)
3. [In their own words](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#words)
4. [In Scripture](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#scripture)
5. [In the calendar](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-benedict-of-nursia/#calendar)

In the app

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