Western Medieval Europe Monastery

abbey of monte cassino, built saint benedict, shown here rebuilt after world war ii

the life of prayer , communal living 1 of rigorous schedules , self-sacrifice. prayer work, , office prayers took of monk s waking hours – matins, lauds, prime, terce, daily mass, sext, none, vespers, , compline. in between prayers, monks allowed sit in cloister , work on projects of writing, copying, or decorating books. these have been assigned based on monk s abilities , interests. non-scholastic types assigned physical labour of varying degrees.

the main meal of day took place around noon, taken @ refectory table, , consisted of simple , bland foods i.e., poached fish, boiled oats. while ate, scripture read pulpit above them. since no other words allowed spoken, monks developed communicative gestures. abbots , notable guests honoured seat @ high table, while else sat perpendicular in order of seniority. practice remained when monasteries became universities after first millennium, , can still seen @ oxford university , cambridge university.

monasteries important contributors surrounding community. centres of intellectual progression , education. welcomed aspiring priests come study , learn, allowing them challenge doctrine in dialogue superiors. earliest forms of musical notation attributed monk named notker of st gall, , spread musicians throughout europe way of interconnected monasteries. since monasteries offered respite weary pilgrim travellers, monks obligated care injuries or emotional needs. on time, lay people started make pilgrimages monasteries instead of using them stop over. time, had sizeable libraries attracted learned tourists. families donate son in return blessings. during plagues, monks helped till fields , provide food sick.

a warming house common part of medieval monastery, monks went warm themselves. room in monastery fire lit.

catholic

melk abbey, austria



passionist monastery in monte argentario, tuscany, italy

a number of distinct monastic orders developed within roman catholicism:

camaldolese monks
canons regular of order of holy cross, priests , brothers, of whom live monks according rule of st. augustine;
carmelite hermits , carmelite nuns (from ancient observance , discalced branch);
cistercian order, monks , nuns (both of original observance , of trappist reform);
monks , sisters of bethlehem
order of minims, founded st. francis of paola
order of saint benedict, known benedictine monks , nuns, founded st. benedict st. scholastica, stresses manual labour in self-subsistent monasteries. see also: cluniac reforms;
order of saint claire, best known poor clares (of observances);
order of saint jerome, inspired st. jerome , st. paula, known hieronymite monks , nuns;
order of saint paul first hermit, known pauline fathers;
order of annunciation of blessed virgin mary, known sisters of annunciation or annociades, founded st. joan of france;
order of carthusians, hermitical religious order founded st. bruno of cologne;
order of immaculate conception, known conceptionists, founded st. beatrice of silva;
order of holy annunciation, known turchine nuns or blue nuns, founded bl. maria vittoria de fornari strata;
order of holy savior, known bridgettine nuns , monks, founded st. bridget of sweden;
order of visitation of holy mary, known visitandine nuns, founded st. francis de sales , st. jane frances fremyot de chantal;
passionists
premonstratensian canons ( white canons )
tironensian monks ( grey monks )
valliscaulian monks


bassac abbey (12th -18th centuries), bassac, charente, france

while in english mendicant orders use monastic terms of monastery or priory, in latin languages, term used friars houses convent, latin conventus, e.g., (italian: convento) or (french: couvent), meaning gathering place . franciscans use term monastery @ present, preferring call house friary .