In modern day monasteries, monks remain silent during certain parts of the day. to which figure can this practice be attributed?

In modern day monasteries, monks remain silent during certain parts of the day, practice which can be attributed to an Italian monk, Saint Benedict of Nursia, also known as St. Benedict.

Explanation:

St. Benedict (c. 480-c. 547), the founder of the Benedictine monastery in Monte Cassino, is famous for his Rule called The Little Silence, and considered to be the father of western monasticism. In his book,The Rule of Saint Benedict, he sums up the precepts of the monks who live in communities.

As St. Benedict describes: “Idleness is the enemy of the soul; and therefore the brethren ought to be employed in manual labor at certain times, at others, in devout reading. Hence, we believe that the time for each will be properly ordered by the following arrangement; namely, that from Easter till the calends of October, they go out in the morning from the first till about the fourth hour, to do the necessary work, but that from the fourth till about the sixth hour they devote to reading. After the sixth hour, however, when they have risen from table, let them rest in their beds in complete silence; or if, perhaps, anyone desireth to read for himself, let him so read that he doth not disturb others. Let None be said somewhat earlier, about the middle of the eighth hour; and then let them work again at what is necessary until Vespers.” (The Holy Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter XLVIII).

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