Young Benedict left Rome, repulsed by the immorality of the city, and lived in the mountains of Subiaco as a hermit. He found his way to an experience of God step by step: the loneliness of the cave, contact with people looking for direction. At each level he had to learn through experience to recognize the will of his God. Legends describe his life, and his rule for the monks clearly shows his development from a strict ascetic to a wise father of monks. In 529 AD: the foundation of Monte Cassino.