Tower at St Michael Monastery, Kloster Istria

 Life of St. Romuald of Ravenna 

(c. 951–1027)

Here we are not as intent to provide a c.v. of St Romuald’s monastic foundations in their chronological order. We are more interested in presenting the heavy influence upon this Western saint by Eastern hesychasm and, in turn, his influence upon Western Monasticism.

St. Romuald & His Byzantine Heritage

St. Romuald was born around 951 AD into an illustrious noble lineage in Ravenna, Italy.  Romuald Onesti, became a profoundly influential figure of early medieval monastic renewal.  His father, Sergius degli Onesti, was a prominent aristocrat holding the ducal title in Ravenna, a city steeped in Roman heritage and political significance. His mother, Traversara Traversari, belonged to the distinguished Traversari family, a noble house renowned for its deep roots and extensive influence across northeastern Italy and beyond, particularly throughout the northern Adriatic territories, these territories include:

• Italy (particularly the regions of Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Emilia-Romagna)

• Slovenia (the coastal region, known as Slovenian Istria)

• Croatia (Istria, Kvarner, and parts of Dalmatia)

These regions reflecting historical Croatian and Slavic influence, intertwined with Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian heritage.

Traversara Traversari’s family lineage traced its origins to the late Roman and early Byzantine eras. The Traversari were originally established through their ancestral progenitor, Teodoro Traversari, a celebrated military general serving under the Germanic King Odoacer in the late fifth century. It was Teodoro who first fortified the family’s legacy by founding the imposing Castle of Traversara near the Lamone river valley, a strategic location instrumental in shaping the family's rise and influence.

Over subsequent centuries, the Traversari evolved into a powerful feudal dynasty, characterized by a sophisticated integration of Roman, Byzantine, and Lombard cultural influences. Their prominence, wealth, and territorial control soon extended significantly beyond Ravenna. Strategically leveraging their noble status and military strength, they expanded their possessions and influence widely throughout the Adriatic coastline, profoundly shaping regional political dynamics and maritime trade. Notably, their influence reached as far eastward as the historically interconnected regions of Old Croatia and Old Dalmatia. Here, the Traversari family maintained fortified holdings, trading connections, and political alliances, deeply entwining themselves with local Slavic nobility, Byzantine administrators, and the ecclesiastical authorities governing these territories.

Ethnically, the Traversari family exemplified a fusion of Roman, Gothic, Lombard, and Byzantine heritage, reflecting the complex cultural mosaic of northeastern Italy during the early medieval period. Their expansion into Old Croatia and Old Dalmatia reinforced their multi-ethnic character, introducing cultural exchange and fostering relationships between the Latin West and Slavic East. Traversara herself embodied this distinguished heritage, carrying forward the Traversari reputation for cultural sophistication, strategic influence, and diplomatic strength.

Through the marriage of Traversara Traversari and Sergius degli Onesti, these two influential families joined forces, consolidating their power and prestige. From this union emerged Romuald, whose early upbringing within this noble milieu provided him with an understanding of both worldly power and the spiritual tensions inherent in aristocratic life—tensions that ultimately led him toward his ascetic vocation and profound spiritual legacy. The Traversari family's history, thus intertwined with the life of St. Romuald, demonstrates how political, ethnic, and spiritual currents flowed seamlessly together, shaping one of the most remarkable monastic figures in medieval Christendom.  Of particular interest to us Western Orthodox is the exposure and influence of the lingering Byzantine milieu upon St Romuald.  Yet, the influence from the East does not stop here.

Romuald’s Monastic Journey

After witnessing his father kill a rival in a duel, he was deeply shaken and sought penance by entering the Benedictine monastery of Sant’Apollinare in Classe (Ravenna). Then he entered St Michael of Cuxia Monastery in the South of France.  Both of these houses were under the famous Cluniac Reform is where Romuald received his monastic formation.  Yet it dissatisfied his soul. Drawn to a more austere and solitary life, he left the monastery and spent years as a hermit under the guidance of Marinus, a spiritual father.  Marinus was an Irish hermit whose own training was directly or indirectly that of the Egyptian Desert Fathers.  Some sources likewise state Romuald had been exposed to the writings of St Anthony of Egypt, the Institutes of St John Cassian and others.  It is interesting to note, in this East – West exchange, that St John Cassian was not a Westerner.  St John Cassian was born circa 360 AD in the region known historically as Scythia Minor (modern-day Dobruja), near the Black Sea coast. This territory now spans parts of Romania and Bulgaria. We know he went to learn from the Egyptian Desert Fathers then brought those lessons to Western European monasticism.  Camaldolese monk Peter-Damian Belisle admits, “We know Romuald was strongly influenced by the East, by the Eastern Church, by Greek monasticism, through his contacts in Ravenna and Venice. Both cities were under the influence of Byzantium at this time” (Peter-Damian Belisle, “Primitive Romualdian Spirituality / Applications,” recorded lecture within Romualdian/Camaldolese/Benedictine Spirituality (1995), New Camaldoli Hermitage Engage Wisdom, https://newcamaldoli.engagewisdom.com/talks/primitive-romualdian-spirituality-applications1-4). 

Romuald became a reformer of monastic life, promoting stricter asceticism and a deep commitment to contemplation. Around 1012, due to his zeal for God and the needed reforms among Western Benedictine monks, he founded the Romualdians, not an actual “order” as according to Roman Catholic monastic orders. It always remained Benedictine in its foundation. The Romualdians were more a monastic movement blending Benedictine communal and Eastern Christian eremitical life. His Brief Rule emphasized silence, prayer, and strict discipline, influencing and complimenting the broader Benedictine tradition.  Belisle also shared in his talk, “In fact, in the year 997, Abbot John II of Monte Cassino retired to a nearby hermitage with five of his monks, where [Saint] John Gradenigo, Romuald's disciple, had lived since 988. So he had been there nine years (ibid.). In these times, acknowledgment of one’s holiness was also more informal as in the East.  Later, the rigid structure of canonization would overtake the Western Church.

St. Romuald of Ravenna was renowned for his extensive travels throughout Italy, during which he founded or reformed numerous monasteries and hermitages dedicated to monastic reform and spiritual contemplation. His most significant establishment was the hermitage at Camaldoli, founded approximately in the year 1012. This community became widely recognized and gave its name to the papist Camaldolese Order, deriving from the name of the location itself by Papal decree. However, his many foundations also include Istria, Kloštar (Old Croatia) in which became the heart of his movement for the Orthodox due to location. 

The Abbey of St. Michael above Lim, located near the village of Kloštar in the Istrian region, is historically recognized as one of the earliest monastic establishments around the year 1001 inspired by the spiritual reforms of St. Romuald. This monastery remained under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Aquileia until the 15th century. Architecturally, the abbey featured an extensive monastic complex, including two churches adorned with significant Byzantine frescoes, a cloister for contemplative practices, ancient water cisterns, and remains of residential buildings dedicated to monastic life. The monastery was named in honor of St. Michael the Archangel, a symbolic dedication emphasizing the triumph of Christian faith over earlier local pagan traditions. This naming reflected the Benedictines' active role as missionaries among the surrounding Slavic populations, contributing to the Christianization and integration of the region.  988 AD was not that distant, and not all Slavs had converted to Christianity.

Strategically situated above the Lim Channel, the site of the abbey was deliberately selected for its tranquil natural environment, advantageous geographic location, and favorable climatic conditions—all factors characteristically valued by Benedictine communities. These monks significantly influenced the cultural and economic evolution of the region by promoting literacy, education, and social order, and by introducing progressive agricultural and viticultural methods, enhancing local productivity and sustainability.

St. Romuald’s presence in Istria, marked notably by his celija (Serbo-Croation for “monk’s cell” or “hermitage”) in the cave now known as Romuald’s Cave, and the establishment of the Abbey of St. Michael, reflected his broader vision for spiritual renewal based on solitude, prayerful contemplation, and monastic discipline. His foundations profoundly impacted both religious devotion and cultural growth within the Adriatic region, a legacy that remains influential and acknowledged to the present day.

It was in that cell/cave where his nous had experienced a deeper purification.

According to Tradition our Father Romuald also founded a community dedicated to Saint Petronilla, a Roman convert and "spiritual daughter" of Apostle Peter, this Romualdian Benedictine monastery was located near Dvigrad in Istria, Croatia

Despite opposition and hardships, St Romuald remained steadfast in his call to asceticism and radical holiness. He reposed around 1027, leaving behind a legacy of spiritual renewal. His feast is celebrated on June 19 according to the Church calendar (corresponding to July 2 on the Gregorian calendar).

This Romualdian hesychast movement within Benedictine Communities in Orthodox Europe came to its official end in 1072 when the schismatic Pope Alexander II (Anselm of Lucca), issued a papal privilege, granting canonical status and recognition to the hermitage founded around the year 1012 by St. Romuald at Camaldoli, Italy. Thus, while St. Romuald founded the original monastic community, it was Pope Alexander II who provided the formal canonical establishment, enabling the Camaldolese to function officially within the broader context of Western Roman Catholic monasticism.  Thereafter, the more Orthodox Romualdians were lost to history; except for a few converts to Orthodoxy who became monks and/or clergy and kept devotion to the Western Hesychast.