Gregory I was the first of 50 Benedictines who have occupied the papal throne; some others were Leo IV, Gregory VII, Pius VII, and Gregory XVI. St Augustine of Canterbury, the disciple of Gregory the Great who took the Benedictine rule to England late in the 6th century, became the first of a long list of Benedictine archbishops of Canterbury. As early as 1354 the order had provided 24 popes, 200 cardinals, 7,000 archbishops, 15,000 bishops, 1,560 canonized saints, and 5,000 holy people worthy of canonization, a number since increased to 40,000, and it had included 20 emperors, 10 empresses, 47 kings, 50 queens, and many other royal and noble people. The order had 37,000 Benedictines in the 14th century; in the 15th century it had 15,107. The Reformation left not more than 5,000, but this number has since increased to about 11,000 men and 25,000 women.
The Benedictine habit consists of a tunic and scapular, over which is worn a long full gown, or cowl, with a hood to cover the head. The colour of the habit is not specified in the rule, and it is conjectured that the early Benedictines wore white, the natural colour of undyed wool. For many centuries, however, black has been the prevailing colour, and thus Benedictines have been called "black monks-.
Carmelites.
Carmelites, popular name for members of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a Roman Catholic religious order founded as a community of hermits in Palestine during the 12th century by the French hermit St Berthold. The original rule, written for them in 1209 by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Albert of Vercelli, was severe, prescribing poverty, abstinence from meat, and solitude. It was approved in 1226 by Pope Honorius III.
After the Crusades, the Englishman St Simon Stock reorganized the Carmelites as mendicant friars. Under him, a change of rule was made to facilitate a more active apostolate. Offshoot communities quickly sprang up in Cyprus, Messina, Marseille, and parts of England, where they were known as White Friars.
