St. Benedict of Nursia was a sixth century monk and founder of monastic communities. His main achievement, the "Rule of St. Benedict," became one of the most influential monastic rules in the West. St. Benedict is sometimes called the founder of Western monasticism. One of the only ancient accounts of St. Benedict is found in the second volume of Pope Gregory I's four-book Dialogues, thought to have been written in 593. Gregory's account of Benedict's life provides a spiritual portrait of the gentle, disciplined abbot. Gregory explains that his information came from what he considered the best sources: a handful of Benedict's disciples who lived with him and witnessed his various miracles. Gregory's Life of St. Benedict is an authentic medieval hagiography cast as a conversation between the Pope and his deacon Peter, designed to teach spiritual lessons. - Summary by Patrick Randall (adapted from Wikipedia articles on St. Benedict and Gregory's Dialogues)