The Orthodox Church commemorates today Venerable Euschemon the Confessor, Bishop of Lampsacus, Venerable Benedict, Archimandrite of Rome, and Martyr Alexander of Pydnus.
Venerable Benedict was born in Nursia, in Italy, and lived in the 6th century AD. His parents, noble and wealthy, instilled in him love, modesty, and piety. When he reached adulthood, he withdrew from society and went to the Apennine Mountains, where he devoted himself to prayer, ascetic life, and the Bible.
As soon as he became known for his ascetic and sacred life, he developed a good reputation as a genuine Orthodox clergyman. In less than twenty years, about 170 monks followed him. As a result, he established a monastery on Mount Cassino in 540 AD.
Venerable Benedict had a presentiment that his end was near and, therefore, he ordered that a tomb be made for his burial. After a few days being ill and after receiving Holy Communion, he reposed peacefully in the Lord in 543 at the age of 62. Venerable Benedict is the founder of the Order of Saint Benedict, which still exists in the Roman Catholic Church.
Source: Church of Cyprus
