become the template for western monasticism for generations afterward. Monks who lived under its provisions would be known as Benedictines, or, in reference to the mandatory color of their robes, Black Monks. The Rule of Saint Benedict, comprising seventy-three chapters, set out the basis of life for a monk living in a community under the guidance of an abbot. Its essential principles were prayer, study, and manual work, supplemented by frugal living, personal poverty, chastity, and a restricted diet.
