How It All Started: The History of Monasticism

Early Monastic Life

Early monks and nuns lived a much more austere life than their successors. They adopted what we would call today an “all or nothing” approach.

St. Anthony the Great, one of the Desert Fathers and who also came to be known as the Father of Monks, is said to have stayed in the desert for more than 15 years. He only ate bread, salt, and water with no wine or meat. Sometimes he would go on fasting for days.

Then in the 4th century, St. Pachomius created the first communal monastery. He organized solitary monks under one roof and one abbot. He also went on to found the first true monastic cloister in Thebes, in northern Egypt. This brings together houses of 30 to 40 monks each with a different abbot. The monks in the cloister also adhere to some kind of a monastic rule.

Early monks were mostly laymen. Though, they would, later on, be classified as somewhere between clergy and laity. Although, it is common to find priests who are also monks.

Other monastic leaders would also establish their own monastic houses in various places. St. Jerome, for example, established a monastery in Bethlehem at about 389. While St. Athanasius of Alexandria brought the concept with him during his exile in Germany.

Soon monasteries would pop up all over the Christian world. Each with its own rules and organizational structure.

The Rise of Western Monasticism

As monasticism started to spread, it eventually reached Christian communities in the west. But the first western monks mainly lived a hermetic existence.

That is until St. Benedict of Nursia came along. He founded the first monastic congregations and introduced a set of “rules” that monks have to follow. This would, later on, be known as the Rule of St. Benedict.

The rule contains seventy-three short chapters which present both spiritual and administrative ideas. More than half of the rules teach obedience and humility. It also details what to do with erring community members as well as how a monastery should be managed.

This set of regulations which were originally composed for the monks in Monte Cassino, the first Benedictine House, would become the foundation of western monasticism. Soon after, many religious orders would derive their monastic practices and policies from St. Benedict’s rule.

How Medieval Monks Live

From the first congregations founded by St. Benedict of Nursia, many others would be established all across Europe. But monasticism would reach its peak during the middle ages.

In the medieval era, monks weren’t just people who lived a hermetic lifestyle. Back then, people didn’t really bother to read and write. Those were usually reserved for members of the clergy who had to copy lots of religious texts. As such, medieval monasteries eventually became centers of learning and medieval monks served as both scholars and teachers.

It became a tradition for noble families to send their children to monasteries to learn to read and write. Once they’re old enough, these children can choose to stay and become part of the clergy. Though some of them would go out and pursue other careers.

Aside from providing education, medieval monks also performed other functions in the community. They also took care of the sick and helped feed the poor. And when a traveler gets stranded in a certain place, they would often seek refuge in a monastery.

In those times, monasteries were also the biggest landowners. But since there are not that many monks, they would accept farmer-tenants to help till the land. Because of this, monastic lands have also become centers of agricultural innovations.

Monasteries in the middle ages were self-sufficient too. The monks produced their own food and brewed their own wine. They also were at the forefront of scientific and medical innovations of their time. Many of the classic literature and art that we celebrate today also have a monastic foundation. In short, a medieval monastery is like a school, hospital, museum, and research lab all rolled into one.

The Spread of Female Monasticism

When discussing the history of monasticism, many people tend to skip over how female monasticism started. Though they’re not as prominent as male hermits, there were still many early Christian women who chose to leave everything behind to live an ascetic life. They were called the “Desert Mothers” and they occupied the desert of Palestine, Egypt, and Syria, in the 4th century.

As monasteries were gaining popularity, dessert convents also started to form. Larger groups built dwelling in the desert while smaller ones settled in family tombs, ruins, caves, and islands. Soon, convents were popping up all over the Roman empire and their occupants were also living an extremely austere life mirroring that of their male counterparts.

The first convents in Europe were established by the Desert Fathers but soon after, women founded their own abbeys and nunneries. In fact, many of the earliest female Catholic saints are abbesses. These women also founded their monastic vows on the Rule of St. Benedict.

In the middle ages, abbeys and nunneries perform similar functions as that of monasteries. Medieval nuns also grew their own food, heal the sick, and house stranded travelers. Just like the monks, the nuns also lived a life of prayer, contemplation, and strict adherence to their monastic vows. These vows vary depending on the religious order they belong to. The most common ones are chastity, poverty, and obedience.

In early western monasticism, monks and nuns typically live in separate buildings. But in eastern churches, double monasteries were more common. A double monastery combines separate communities of monks and nuns, where they share a church and other facilities. It only started to become popular in the west during the 6th century, particularly in Anglo-Saxon England and was eventually adopted by orders like the Bridgettines and Dominicans. Though in these setups, the monks and nuns still have separate living quarters.

Modern Monasticism

Modern monastic practices retained many of the medieval aspects of monasticism. Most monks still live in cloisters and produce much of their own food. Though monastic rules may vary across orders and congregations.

Some orders have a much more austere lifestyle than others. Most religious orders require their members to take vows that include poverty, chastity, and obedience. Cistercian monks take the vows of stability (to commit to a specific monastery – like a man marrying a woman commits to just that woman), obedience (to the abbot as well as to each other monk out of mutual respect – like brothers), and conversion of manners (to acknowledge that the spiritual life results in growth in virtue and to commit to growing in virtue and getting rid of vices).