Editing Scholastica (section)

== Life ==
According to the 6th-century ''[[Dialogues (Pope Gregory)|Dialogues]]'' of [[Gregory the Great]], Scholastica was born c. 480 in [[Nursia]], [[Umbria]], of wealthy parents (Anicius Eupropius and his wife Claudia Abondantia Reguardati). While Gregory only states that Scholastica was Benedict's sister, a later tradition says she was his twin (whether this is meant biologically or spiritually, or both, is unclear). Gregory also says she was dedicated to God from a young age. She and her brother Benedict were brought up together until the time he left to pursue studies in [[Rome]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=jAPnDqXxVmMC&dq=Saint+Scholastica&pg=PA5 Mary Richard Boo OSB and Joan M. Braun OSB, ''Emerging from the Shadows: St. Scholastica'', in ''Medieval Women Monastics''], (Miriam Schmitt OSB and Linda Kulzer OSB, eds) The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 1996  {{ISBN|9780814622926}}</ref>

A young Roman woman of Scholastica's class and time would likely have remained in her father's house until marriage or entry into consecrated life. On occasion several [[consecrated virgin]]s would live together in a household and form a community.<ref name="engs">{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiana.edu/~engs/scholas.htm|title=St. Scholastica - Traditional twin of St. Benedict|website=www.indiana.edu|access-date=12 February 2020}}</ref>

Benedictine history shows that Scholastica established a hermitage about five miles from [[Monte Cassino]] and that this was the first convent of Benedictine nuns.<ref name="Gregory">{{Cite web|url=https://www.osb.org//gen/scholastica.html|title=Saint Scholastica, Virgin and Religious Founder. OSB.|website=www.osb.org|access-date=12 February 2020}}</ref> However, it is possible that Scholastica lived in a hermitage with one or two other consecrated virgins in a cluster of houses at the base of Mount Cassino where there is an ancient church under her patronage Monastero di Santa Scolastica. [[Ruth Clifford Engs]] notes that since ''Dialogues'' indicates that Scholastica was dedicated to God at an early age, perhaps she lived in her father's house with other religious women until his death and then moved nearer to Benedict.<ref name=engs/>