500 9c:
Life in a Molr*§tery
In medieval Europe thousands of men and
women devoted their lives to the Church,
working, pra)nng and studying in monasteries §
and nunneries. Across Europe, monasteries
became centres of western art and learning.
Men and women who became monks or nuns
obeyed the rule, or way of life, originally set down in the 500s by.
amongst others, St Benedict of Nursia. He taught that a monk or ,§llllür l
nun should be poor, unmarried and obedient. Monks wore
simple robes, shaved their heads and lived together in
communities known as monasteries. The head of the monastery
was the abbot, who often managed large estates and sometimes
even commanded his own knights. The head of a nunnery, or a
religious house for women, was called an abbess. A Founded in 909, Clunl
Monks and nuns followed a daily programme of prayer and Abbey in France is one of
worship, attending eight services every day. Monks ate together in many abbeys in EuroPe
builL during the Mitldle Ágel. i
the refectory, and worked in the fields or in workshops. At first abb,'\ tutts- tt rlligitltt.t l-(llll|llll
1
they made most of what they needed, including their own bread, of monk.s or nun,r, llerlrletl bs rt
butteq cheese and ale, though later lay brethren did the hard cúbot or rtbbess. Some large ttbl,,
ruere Like urllled tozun.s, ullrcre ti
work. They cared for the sick, gave food and shelter to travellers, monks liutld in sechl,sion. frottt
and carefully copied out books, painting the pages with brilliantly thc outside ulorld.
coloured letters and pictures, called illuminations. Precious books
were stored in monastery libraries during the Middle Ages for
study by priests and friars,
..,=eai+.. ffffi Dormitory
&*
" f;li,
.-: '
manuscriPt Page. ,\ome
mo,nks mu,de the ParcltrnerlL, ,.
tt,hilc ut hprs t,ttllcrl .srribe:,,uPi,ll
out thc uords. SPeciu,l$ *illed
added dearatio,ns in Paint
se:rue,rs
and euen gold a,rú silllu, so thctt
Pages seemerl 'lit' frorn u,iLhin. Eacll
Prtge took mrln1 hours of uork. Refectory (dining hall)
l
l l00 l 200
These books were often the basis of
the first universities.
l
--*
There were several organizations,
or orders, of monks. These included
the Benedictines, carthusians and
Cistercians. In the 1200s new LIFE IN A MONASTERY
orders of travelling preachers, Late 400s Sinple nronas[eries .
are fourrdecl in Irelarrcl, for
§ known as friars, were formed. hermit,s lir,ine irr ts*roups,
if Friars such as the Dominicans caclt irr his orvn hut or cell.
c. 480-550 Lilc ol St Bcnctlit,t ol
#],-
jn, §& and the Franciscans (founded by
' Nrrrsia, rvho fourrds the flrst
I
cHRlsTlAN PlLGRlMs St Francis of Assisi) did not live <lrcier <lf nrorrks ir. ir29.
Pilgrims in the MiddleAges made behind monastery walls, but 500s St. C]olurrrba í'clrrrrcls ir
il
|ourneys to Visit holy places or shrines nlollastery orr the Islancl
wandered the countryside, asking oí']ona.
:
(the relic of a saint, íor example).
People journeyed as far as Jerusalem, for food and shelter and preaching 529 First Errrclpearr abbel,at
or to the catacombs (underground Christianity to the people. Monte (]zrssirro irr It,alv is
tombs) in Rome where early Christians fortnrlelcl. Berreclictirre rule is
had worshipped. ln England, the most |rlrntttleled ltet,e.
hmous shrine was that of stThomas á 597 St Atrgtrstine founcls tlre íirst
Becket at Canterbury. lt was just such Englislr Bcrrt,tlit,tine
pilgrims that Chaucer wrote about in ll)olla\l(,r\ al ( .ltItlet,htrrr.
his ConterburyToles.
Monks at prayer 820 Plans filr the ideal abbev are
t itr ttlaterl :trottItrl Ettt,o1lt,.
itllltrettcirtg the dt,si{rl ,,f
l)tolla5tcr\ llr rildirrgs.
910 Clur-riac clrder is f'otrrrclecl. :
966 N{ont St N{iclrel in France is
::,
lluilt lrr tlre Bcrrcrlictirlt,s.
l042 Eclrvard tlre C]onfessor
tlle fir:t \\elltltinsler
]
,',É"
1,1ttnds
Al rller. F,r rglltrtrl.
l084 Ordcr of (,ltt lhtrsiltrrs i:
lou trt ler l.
l098 (,istert,iatl rlrdcr i:
íoLttl cle tl.
fbrrrrcled bv tlre Ihights oí St .
.fohn (kttrlirtt a: tlrt,
Hosllitallerst lrl sheller,
pil grirns.iorrrneyirrg to the--
Holr Lerlcl.
i -.l
,, 1
]a
!]_
11l9 Orde r of Kniglrts Templar
í'otrncled.
],
ll70_122l Lilc oI Dorrrirrg,, de
l Guzman, forrnder of t,he
ljotniIl icittt í riat,,.
]1
.:í
l l81-1226 Lilc oí- St FlaIrcis oI
Assisi. í'otIrrrlt,l, ol tllt,
,s:] Franciscan íl-iars.
1'
Late ll00s University oí'Paris is
;
+
]
loLrltclcd.
?
1l89 Terrtonic KrTights fburrdecl :
,l in.Jer rrsalem.
1225-1,274 [,if'e clí'St T]romas :
tnottk-scltolat,: of tht,
Mirlcllc Aees,
{itchen
4, Alh on a s ti c c o mmuni ty | 249 First t,ollcge tlf Oxforrl
['tlirersin is l,,rInded.
.foltowed a daily rout,ine of ulo,rk
€ d and uorshiP. At its heart u(ts thc
,{§*.
cha,Pel. Thc:re were herb gardens
Vegetable
garden and cloisters, an infirmary J'or the
sick, uorkshoPs (lnd íOrm
Library buiklings.
85
