Feast Day: June 19
Born: c. 951, Ravenna, Italy
Died: June 19, 1027, Val di Castro, Italy
Patronage: Camaldolese Order, spiritual hermits, monastic reformers
Early Life and Conversion
Saint Romuald was born around the year 951 into the noble Onesti family of Ravenna. Though raised amidst the luxury and vanity of the world, he was not immune to its perils. At the age of about twenty, he witnessed his own father, Sergius, kill a relative in a duel over property. This horrifying event shook Romuald profoundly. In an act of penance—not only for his father’s sin but for his own worldly life—he entered the monastery of San Apollinare in Classe, near Ravenna.
Though he sought refuge in monasticism, he soon found the life there insufficiently rigorous. After a few years, Romuald left to pursue a deeper asceticism. He placed himself under the guidance of the hermit Marinus, living in a solitary cell and immersing himself in prayer, silence, and fasting.
Call to Reform and Founding of the Camaldolese
Guided by divine inspiration, Romuald undertook the reform of monastic life in Italy, which had grown lax in many places. He became a tireless champion of the Rule of Saint Benedict, but with a particular zeal for eremitical (hermit-like) observance.
Eventually, around the year 1012, he founded a new congregation that would embody his vision: the Camaldolese Order, named after the site of Camaldoli in Tuscany. There, he established a monastery combining communal monastic life with solitary eremitical cells, allowing monks to progress toward contemplation while still rooted in community.
The Camaldolese ideal was a return to the ancient desert fathers—solitude, silence, manual labor, poverty, and continual prayer. Romuald’s monks wore white habits, symbolizing purity and simplicity.
A Life of Miracles, Suffering, and Sanctity
Saint Romuald’s sanctity became known throughout Italy. He was a man of stern discipline, but also deep compassion. He sought solitude but was often called upon to reform existing monasteries or advise princes and popes. He is known to have faced slander, jealousy, and even exile, yet bore all sufferings with patience, in imitation of Christ.
Numerous miracles were attributed to him during his life and after his death. He had the gift of prophecy, foresaw his own death, and was said to have experienced divine ecstasies during prayer.
Death and Legacy
After a life of over seventy years in the monastic and eremitical vocation, Romuald died peacefully on June 19, 1027, at Val di Castro, where he had retreated for contemplation. His body was found incorrupt many years after his death, a sign of his holiness.
He was canonized in 1595 by Pope Clement VIII. His Camaldolese Order continues to this day, upholding the spirit of silent contemplation and strict monastic observance.
✠ Spiritual Maxims of Saint Romuald
One of the most treasured relics of his teaching is the “Brief Rule of Saint Romuald”, a short text meant to guide hermits:
“Sit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. The path you must follow is in the Psalms—never leave it. If you have just come to the monastery and in spite of your good will you cannot accomplish what you want, take every opportunity to sing the Psalms in your heart and to understand them with your mind. And if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up; hurry back and try again. Above all realize that you are in God’s presence, and stand there with the attitude of one who stands before the emperor. Empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God.”
✠ Devotional Notes and Traditional Honors
- Office and Mass: His feast is kept in the 1962 Roman Missal and the Roman Martyrology on June 19.
- Symbols in Art: Saint Romuald is often depicted in white monastic garb, holding a staff or book, sometimes with small monastic cells or hermits in the background.
- Traditional Devotion: He is invoked especially by those discerning the monastic life or struggling with interior silence and discipline.