Benedictines

Order of Saint Benedict

Ordo Sancti Benedicti
Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
Abbreviation	OSB
Formation	529; 1495 years ago (529)
Founder	Benedict of Nursia
Founded at	Subiaco Abbey
Type	Catholic religious order
Headquarters	Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino
Members	6,802 (3,419 priests) as of 2020[update]
Abbot Primate	Gregory Polan, OSB
Main organ	Benedictine Confederation
Parent organization	Catholic Church
Website	osb.org

The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (Latin: Ordo Sancti Benedicti, abbreviated as OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529 they are the oldest of all the religious orders in the Latin Church.^[1] The male religious are also sometimes called the Black Monks, especially in English speaking countries, after the colour of their habits. Not all Benedictines wear black however, with some like the Olivetans wearing white.^[2] They were founded by Benedict of Nursia, a 6th-century Italian monk who laid the foundations of Benedictine monasticism through the formulation of his Rule. Benedict's sister, Scholastica, possibly his twin, also became a religious from an early age, but chose to live as a hermit. They retained a close relationship until her death.^[3]

Despite being called an order, the Benedictines do not operate under a single hierarchy but are instead organized as a collection of autonomous monasteries and convents, some known as abbeys. The order is represented internationally by the Benedictine Confederation, an organization set up in 1893 to represent the order's shared interests. They do not have a superior general or motherhouse with universal jurisdiction but elect an Abbot Primate to represent themselves to the Vatican and to the world.

Benedictine nuns are given the title Dame in preference to Sister.^[4]