Rule of Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine surrounded by Augustinian monks (Paduan school, 15th century), relief in the portal tympanum of the former Augustinian convent of Santo Stefano in Venice. The book inscription is the beginning of the Rule of Saint Augustine: ANTE O[MN]IA FRATRES CARISSIMI DILIGATVR DEVS DEINDE PROXIMVS QVIA ISTA PR[A]ECEPTA SVNT N[O]B[IS] DATA - "First of all, most beloved brothers, God shall be loved, thereafter the neighbour, for these instructions have been given to us."
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The Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about the year 400, is a brief document divided into eight chapters and serves as an outline for religious life lived in community.[1] It is the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church.[2]

The rule, developed by Augustine of Hippo (354–430), governs chastity, poverty, obedience, detachment from the world, the apportionment of labour, the inferiors, fraternal charity, prayer in common, fasting and abstinence proportionate to the strength of the individual, care of the sick, silence and reading during meals. It came into use on a wide scale from the twelfth century onwards and continues to be employed today by many orders, including the Dominicans, Servites, Mercederians, Norbertines, and Augustinians.

  1. ^ "Rule of Saint Augustine", Midwest Augustinians
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference villa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).