The International Congress “Sub Regula Augustini: The Encounter with Culture on the Horizon of the City of God of St. Augustine” was held in Rome from November 18 to 22. “Sub Regula Augustini: The Encounter with Culture on the Horizon of St. Augustine’s City of God.”. The event was organized by the Institutum Historicum of the Order of St. Augustine and was held at the Pontificium Institutum Augustinianum in Rome.
On the first day of the congress, the attendees were greeted by the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, Alejandro Moral, who highlighted the importance of the Rule of Saint Augustine in the life and history of the Augustinian Order.
Afterwards, Juan Antonio Cabrera, president of the Pontificium Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum, spoke on the reception of St. Augustine in the late-antique monasticism. Bernard Ardura, of the Pontifical Commission for Historical Sciences, then spoke on the influence and reception of St. Augustine and his Rule in the canons regular of St. Augustine. Since the emergence of the Augustinian family in the 13th century, a controversy developed about who were the true heirs of the tradition and legacy of St. Augustine: the canons regular or the Order of St. Augustine. To close the morning sessions, Alessandro Cosma, of the Ministero della Cultura of the Galleries of Ancient Art, presented a paper on the transformation and polemic of the images of St. Augustine from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age.
In the afternoon, Erick Saak, a specialist in Augustinian historiography, discussed the reception of St. Augustine at the time of the foundation of the Order of St. Augustine during the 13th and 14th centuries. Antonella Mazzon, of the Sapienza Università di Roma, then spoke on the traces of devotion to St. Monica in the Augustinian documentation of the 15th century.
The second day included several outstanding presentations. Alessandra Bartolomei, from the Angelicum of Rome, spoke on feminine sanctity and mysticism from the Middle Ages to the early Modern Age. Blas Sierra, from the Oriental Museum of Valladolid, dealt with the iconography of St. Augustine in the Philippine Islands and in the Oriental Museum of Valladolid. Isaac Gonzalez, of the Augustinian Historical Institute, spoke on the legacy of St. Augustine in the 17th century, presenting the example of Agustin de Antolinez. Jaime Sepulcre, of the St. Augustine Theological Center of El Escorial, discussed the presence of St. Augustine in the work of Antonio da Piedade, “Meiodia Agostiniano”.
Enrique A. Eguiarte highlighted the presence of St. Augustine in the Augustinian Recollects, from the Forma de Vivir to the latest Constitutions of 2016. He underlined how the Forma de Vivir, considered as the first Constitutions of the Augustinian Recollects, reflects a strong Augustinian influence in aspects such as the role of the prior, obedience, charity, humility and poverty. In addition, he analyzed concrete elements such as the provisions on sleep and rest, which are similar to the indications present in the Rule of St. Augustine. 
Justo del Espiritu Santo’s treatise on humility, “Treasury of Humility”, highlighting the Augustinian influences and pointing out some apocryphal quotations. He also discussed the Mystical Theology of Friar Augustine of St. Ildefonso and the commentary on the Rule of Friar Andrew of St. Nicholas, as well as his work “Paserculii Solitarius Planctus”. Finally, he highlighted the growing presence of Augustinian texts in the Constitutions of the Order of Augustinian Recollects since the Second Vatican Council, culminating in those of 2016, with more than 450 quotations from St. Augustine.
On the third day, the attendees participated in the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square with Pope Francis. In the afternoon, Carlo Moro, Vicar General of the Discalced Augustinians, spoke on the influence of St. Augustine on this branch of the Order. Rocco Ronzani, Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Archives, also spoke on the reception of the spirituality of St. Augustine among the laity who collaborate in the ministries of the Order.
The fourth day included presentations by Joseph Sciberras, of the Institutum Historicum Augustinianum, on the reception of St. Augustine in the Order up to the Constitutions of 1926. Kolawole Chabi, of the Pontificium Institutum Augustinianum, spoke on the presence of St. Augustine in the magisterium of recent popes. Manuel Sanchez, of the St. Augustine Theological Center of El Escorial, spoke on the relevance of Augustinian doctrine for consecrated life today.
In the afternoon, a Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated in the church of Sant’Agostino in Campo Marzio, which brought the congress to a close. This event left open numerous avenues for research and study on St. Augustine and his reception in the Augustinian Order.