Between May and June it is not unusual to see the banks of the canal near the Abbey dotted with the rustic inflorescences of Silybum marianum, the milk thistle. It sprouts among the tall grass and lake reeds. It owes its name to the Christian tradition according to which the white streaks on its leaves are a reminder of the drops of milk lost on this plant by Mary while breastfeeding the baby Jesus while fleeing...

It is no coincidence that the etymology of the word 'rule' comes from the extension of meaning of the tool used to accompany the hand in drawing straight lines. A rule is nothing more than a norm (derived from experience or established by convention) indicating a constant course of events or a fixed direction of behaviour.
The Rule established by St Benedict in 534 A.D. opens with these words:
«Listen,...

Focus on architecture, art, archaeology, the ambient (human, natural, historical, cultural)… and, outside the thick walls of the Abbey, the Archives! An archive with a capital A.
We think of time as a straight line to be followed in order to put order into a chain of events, but if we look around, it is difficult to distinguish the traces in the variety of their signs. Perhaps it is better to start from the details...