St. Benedict and St. Scholastica were born in Norcia around the year 480, and to this day the town of Norcia celebrates their feast days with great solemnity. St Benedict is honored on March 21 (according to the monastic calendar) and July 11 (according to the universal calendar); St. Scholastica on February 10. In the Basilica of St. Benedict, built on the site of the birthplace of the holy twins, these feast days are marked by extraordinary liturgical beauty.
This CD represents the monks' humble effort to (as the psalmist says) "sing praise wisely." They invite listeners to delight in the musical tradition of the Church in which all things glorify God.
To hear 30-second samples on your Windows Media Player, just click on SAMPLE.
In Solemnitate S. P. N. Benedicti
1. Introitum – Gaudeamus (SAMPLE)
2. Kyrie (SAMPLE)
3. Gloria (SAMPLE)
4. Graduale - Domine prvenisti (SAMPLE)
5. Alleluia - Vir Dei
6. Sequentia - Laeta Dies
7. Credo
8. Offertorium - Desiderium
9. Sanctus
10. Agnus Dei I
11. Agnus Dei II
12. Communionem - Semel iuravi
In Festa S. Scholastica
13. Introitum - Surge, propers
14. Kyrie
15. Gloria
16. Graduale - Dilexisti
17. Alleluia - Adducentur regi
18. Sequentia - Emicat meridies
19. Credo
20. Offertorium - Afferentur regi
21. Sanctus
22. Agnus Dei
23. Communionem - Veni Sponsa Christi
 Monastero di San Benedetto: Norcia, Italy
The Monastero di San Benedetto was founded in Rome in 1998. In 2000 the tiny band of American monks was offered the opportunity to bring monastic life back to the town of Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, where monasteries had existed from the 10th to the 19th centuries. There they chant the Divine Office in Latin in what remains of an ancient monastery built on the site of the saints' 5th century family home on the central piazza by the Basilica.
The present monastery houses only 15 monks. With the happy problem of a steady stream of vocations and inquirers, the monks have purchased an abandoned 16th century monastery which sits on a ridge above the town. The monks plan to reside at the new Abbey and to keep the Basilica site as a place to welcome pilgrims and offer a daily chanted Mass. There remains an enormous project of design, labor and fundraising to make the grand plan a reality.  
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