Monasticism
Also called: Monastery, Abbey · Topic: Medieval Europe: Feudalism and the Three Orders · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "The Three Orders"
Meaning
Monasticism is the way of life of deeply religious people who live apart from the world. The word comes from the Greek monos, meaning one who lives alone. Monks (men) and nuns (women) lived in separate single-sex communities called abbeys or monasteries. They vowed to stay there for life and to spend their days praying, studying and doing manual labour. The priesthood was closed to women, but this life was open to both men and women. Monasteries grew from 10–20 members to several hundred and ran schools, colleges and hospitals.
Example
St Benedict set up a monastery in Italy in 529. His rule had 73 chapters. Monks could rarely speak, owned no private property and were taught that "idleness is the enemy of the soul". Another famous abbey was founded at Cluny in Burgundy in 910.
Don't confuse with
- Friars: from the thirteenth century they moved from place to place and lived on charity. They did not stay in one monastery.