St John the Baptist is regarded as the last of the Old Testament prophets; he is the only saint apart from Our Lady whose earthly birth, by virtue of its significance in foreshadowing that of Our Lord's, is celebrated in the calendar.
He has a special significance for Benedictines, as St Benedict dedicated one of the chapels at Monte Cassino to the saint.
The famous Vespers hymn (the first note of each line forms doh-ray-me etc):
