History of Monasteries in the Middle Ages
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Middle Ages monasticism was established by the traditions of Saint Anthony. In 270AD Anthony a
young Christian man, aged 20 years and born in Egypt chose to donate his possessions and to
live in a desert. He lived in solitude most of his life where he prayed and undertook manual jobs
to earn a living. His way of living was soon perceived as holy and people came to stay close to
him and to imitate his ways. Most people of this time saw this way of living as an opportunity to
demonstrate their faith and loyalty to God, because martyrdom was no longer a possibility.
In the wake of the 5th century, this form of lifestyle in which people lived together in pious
isolation caught up in the Western world and in Europe in particular. Like most forms of
organizations, the monastic factions began to split into orders and sects. One reason for these
divisions was that the Church itself was divided and issued differing instructions to the monks
who were affiliated to them.
The different monk sects travelled across Europe establishing monasteries and spreading the
gospel to the non-believers. The monks also sought to make changes in the Church to heal the
divisions that were fast threatening the Church. The monks in the middle ages were also very
instrumental as a source of education.
St. Benedict of Nursia was able to unite the different monk sects and to bring order to the
monasteries in the Middle Ages. He established the Benedictine Rule after seeking to reform not
just the monastic movement but also the Church. As a young monk in Rome, he witnessed the
corruption of the Church and of the city and was inspired to change this. He moved away from the
city and went to the desert, subsequently attracting a following. He organized his followers into
communities at Subiaco but was later chased by the clergy there.
Before his death he organized his new society at Monte Cassino where he established the
Benedictine Rule for his followers to observe. The rules regulated many monastic communities
and they placed the abbot in charge of the community. The abbot was a life leader and the monk
was not allowed to leave his community nor was he expected to be disobedient.
As the popularity of monks and monasteries grew, monks became very influential figures in the
Middle Ages society. Not only were they educated but they also demonstrated skills in agriculture
and manual labor, as this is what they did within the monasteries. However, the labor they
undertook was not the forced and undignified type imposed in the previous centuries by the
barbarians and Romans.
As time went by the influential families in the medieval era began establishing their own
monasteries within their estates. The abbots who were designated to oversee these monasteries
were related, directly or in directly to the family that owned the monastery. As such, the abbots
administered the monasteries in the interest of the owners. This resulted into the rapid integration
of the monasteries into the power structure of the medieval society.
Structure and Hierarchy
Every monastery sought to establish an independent and self-reliant community in which the
monks did not require to go out to get anything. Although most monasteries started out small,
they rapidly grew in terms of wealth and the number of people who would join the monastic
community. The monasteries would grow to cover many acres of land and monumental walls
would surround them.
The power structure existent in society in general was also present within the monasteries. An
abbot governed the monasteries in the middle ages; the abbot owed some allegiance to a local
lord or a higher authority such as the church. The monks, who entered the monasteries first as
students, would rise to prominent positions to become callers, tutors, doctors or archivists.
The rapid rise in position would also come with increased wealth. The cloistral prior was the
second in command to the abbot and bore the responsibility of managing the internal affairs of
the monasteries. It was possible for an abbot to come into the monastery as landless nobility who
utilized the church for purposes of establishing a social movement.
The main building of the monasteries in the Middle Ages was grouped within an interior court,
also known as a cloister. The cloister comprised of the church, the dining room, a dormitory,
kitchen, and a chapter house where business transactions took place. The monasteries also
featured a school, a hospital, library, laundry areas and a guestroom for hosting visitors such.
Beyond the court, were the gardens, grain fields and a mill that served as a source of subsistence
for the monastery.
Monastery Life
Life in the monasteries involved regular periods of worship, studying and labor. Days were
managed into eight different activities all of which began and ended with worship in the church.
The initial church service was at about two in the morning while the last one took place at sunset.
During the day they would spent a couple of hours studying the bible, praying, and meditating in
private. The rest of the hours were spent in manual labor within the monastery and in the
gardens.
Answer these questions on your own paper:
1. How was Middle Ages monasticism established (who is responsible)?
2. How did the first monk and early monks live?
3. Why did different monk sects travel around Europe?
4. What were the goals of St. Benedict of Nursia?
5. What was the purpose of Benedictine Rule?
6. Describe a monk during the Middle Ages.
7. What was the job of the abbot?
8. How was a medieval monastery similar to European society?
9. Describe typical features of a medieval monastery.
10. Describe a typical day in a medieval monastery.