Benedict of Nursia

About Benedict of Nursia

Benedict of Nursia (480 – 543 CE) holds a high historical rank at #725 due to his profound and lasting influence on Western monasticism. As a key religious figure of the early Middle Ages, he is best known as the author of the "Rule of St. Benedict," a detailed code of conduct for monks that became the foundational text for nearly all religious orders in the West for centuries. His establishment of communal living for ascetics helped shape the spiritual and social landscape of Europe during a turbulent era.

In the digital age, his historical significance appears somewhat muted compared to his influence. Benedict accrued 433K annualized Wikipedia pageviews in 2025. To contextualize this, his attention is roughly on par with the expected level for his importance, yielding an Attention Gap of approximately 1x. For comparison, the Apostle Thomas (#755 importance) garnered 671K views, suggesting that a contemporary religious figure with comparable historical standing receives about 55% more modern digital attention.

Interestingly, while his overall attention is balanced, recent trends show a slight cooling; his 2025 Momentum, comparing Q1 to Q3 traffic, dropped by -16%, despite an overall Year-over-Year increase of +8.7%.