Between 1870 and 1872, the community that Lazzaretti founded on Monte Labbro was joined by three institutes that shared his vision of social and religious reform: the Eremiti; the Christian Brotherhood, which in practice was configured as a sort of mutual social aid; and the Society of Christian families, which was open to peasants, small land owners, artisans and labourers. The society was founded thanks to the pooling of assets, and provided not only for the social organization of work and distribution of revenues, but also the practice of achieving moral and civil virtues through education.
