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Monestir de Sant Feliu de Guíxols is a Benedictine monastery in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, in the comarca of the Baix Empordà in Catalonia.
It was first referenced around the year 961, and was declared a Bé d'Interès Cultural landmark in 1931.
The Romanesque building is an excellent example of the town's medieval architecture and has been remodeled several times. It includes the Porta Ferrada, the symbol of the town, as well as two towers. It houses a history museum.
On the basis of available records, the foundation of the Benedictine monastery can be traced back to the first half of the 10th century.
The bay of Guixols was chosen due to its good natural harbour and the proximity to the coast of the nearby range of hills, which would make it easier to flee and would give a certain degree of protection in cases of attack from the sea. The decision was no doubt also influenced by the martyrdom of Saint Felix of Africa and the opportunity to take advantage of existing buildings dating from the Roman period.
The monastery's role was to control the agricultural exploitation and production of the surrounding region, and also to provide protection to its inhabitants in return. It was thus a fortified coastal monastery exercising its feudal dominion over the territory. At its foundation, the monastery was dedicated to Saint Felix and the name of Sant Feliu, in its Catalan form, was thereafter forever associated with that of Guíxols, thus giving the present-day name of the town, used from the 10th century onwards.
More information: Museu d'Història Sant Feliu de Guíxols
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict, in Latin Ordo Sancti Benedicti, abbreviated as O.S.B. or 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.
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.
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.
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.
More information: OSB
lest in removing the rust,
you break the whole instrument.
Benedict of Nursia
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