St. Sylvester Guzzolini (1177-1267) is the founder of the “Order of St. Benedict of Montefano”, known as the Sylvestrine Congregation OSB. Sylvester was born around
1177 in the town of Osimo, located today in the Marche region of today’s Italy. Sylvester received a university education in both law and theology at Bologna and Padua. Despite his father’s plans that he follows a career in law, Sylvester desired to serve God in the Church and thus joins a group of Canons in their life of prayer and preaching at the Osimo Cathedral. Once while taking part in a funeral, he was curious to know the condition of his cousin who was already buried there a few days ago and looking into his coffin, he was struck by the gruesome spectacle of the decomposing body of this once handsome young man, and was stirred within: “What he was I am, and what he is I shall be”. Sylvester’s vocation to a life of complete solitude and abandonment to God’s care was motivated by this event. He went to the solitary mountain slopes of Grottafucile and lived in a rocky cave, fed on herbs and water and in company of wild beasts. In the rigour of solitude and prayer, he soon scaled such heights of sanctity that diffused into the neighbourhoods and became a source of spiritual energy for many around. He became a very inspirational figure, attracting many followers and stabilized a life-style for them – a life according to the Rule of St. Benedict. After a long life in the service of Christ and his Church, Sylvester died on 26 November 1267 and was buried in the church of Montefano.
In the year 1598 his name was inscribed in the Roman Martyrology and the celebration of the feast which was previously in Fabriano was extended to the whole Benedictine Order. Pope Leo XIII inserted the memorial of St. Sylvester in the Universal Church Calendar in 1890. Today it is celebrated in the Benedictine Order after the restructuring of the feasts by II Vatican Council.