Maurus (512–584) was the first disciple of Benedict of Nursia. He is mentioned in Gregory the Great's biography of the latter as the first oblate, offered to the monastery by his noble Roman parents as a young boy to be brought up in the monastic life.
Saint Benedict orders Saint Maurus to the rescue of Saint Placid by Friar Filippo Lippi, O.Carm. (ca.1445).
Detail from Madonna and Child with St Maurus, Castel Nuovo Napoli
Benedict of Nursia, often known as Saint Benedict, was an Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian. He is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old Catholic Churches. In 1964 Pope Paul VI declared Benedict a patron saint of Europe.
A portrait of Saint Benedict as depicted in the Benedetto Portinari Triptych, by Hans Memling
Saint Benedict orders Saint Maurus to the rescue of Saint Placidus, by Fra Filippo Lippi, AD 1445
Totila and Saint Benedict, painted by Spinello Aretino. According to Pope Gregory, King Totila ordered a general to wear his kingly robes in order to see whether Benedict would discover the truth. Immediately Benedict detected the impersonation, and Totila came to pay him due respect.
Benedict depicted on a Jubilee Saint Benedict Medal for the 1,400th anniversary of his birth in 1880
