"It was a Venetian monk, Dom Bernardo Vincelli, who first concocted Bénédictine in 1505. Passionate about alchemy, he experimented with healing plants like angelica and hyssop which grew on the nearby cliffs. Prized for its medicinal properties, the elixir became the drink of choice for François I...It wasn’t until 1863 that the secret recipe was discovered by wine trader Alexandre Le Grand in an old book in the family library."
http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2014/05/26/not_to_miss_in_normandy_palais_benedictine_in_fecamp.html
The alchemist Dom Bernardo seems to have been a later invention, but the discovery of the recipe seems true enough.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Le_Grand_(merchant)Attached Image (viewed 164 times):
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