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{{Short description|Complex of buildings}}
{{For2|the settlement in Nova Scotia, Canada|Monastery, Nova Scotia|the 2021 single by Ryan Castro and Feid|Monastery (song)}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2023}}
A '''monastery''' is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of [[Monasticism|monastics]], [[monk]]s or [[nun]]s, whether living in [[Cenobitic monasticism|communities]] or alone ([[hermits]]). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may be a [[chapel]], [[Church (building)|church]], or [[temple]], and may also serve as an [[Oratory (worship)|oratory]], or in the case of [[Cenobium|communities]] anything from a single building housing only one senior and two or three junior monks or nuns, to vast complexes and estates housing tens or hundreds. A monastery complex typically comprises a number of buildings which include a church, [[dormitory]], [[cloister]], [[refectory]], [[library]], [[Wiktionary:balneary|balneary]] and [[Hospital|infirmary]]  and outlying [[Monastic grange|granges]]. Depending on the location, the monastic order and the occupation of its inhabitants, the complex may also include a wide range of buildings that facilitate self-sufficiency and service to the community. These may include a [[hospice]], a [[Monastic school|school]], and a range of agricultural and manufacturing buildings such as a [[barn]], a [[forge]], or a [[brewery]].

In English usage, the term ''monastery'' is generally used to denote the buildings of a community of monks. In modern usage, ''[[convent]]'' tends to be applied only to institutions of female monastics (nuns), particularly communities of teaching or nursing [[Nun|religious sisters]]. Historically, a convent denoted a house of [[friar]]s (reflecting the Latin), now more commonly called a ''friary''. Various religions may apply these terms in more specific ways.

== Etymology ==
[[File:St gall plan.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Plan of Saint Gall]], the [[ground plan]] of an unbuilt abbey, providing for all of the needs of the monks within the confines of the monastery walls]]

The word ''monastery'' comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''μοναστήριον'', neut. of ''μοναστήριος'' – ''monasterios'' from ''μονάζειν'' – ''monazein'' "to live alone"<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=monastery&searchmode=none| title = Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref> from the root ''μόνος'' – ''monos'' "alone" (originally all Christian monks were hermits); the suffix "-terion" denotes a "place for doing something". The earliest extant use of the term ''monastērion'' is by the 1st century AD [[Jew]]ish philosopher [[Philo]] in ''On The Contemplative Life,'' ch. III.

In England, the word ''monastery'' was also applied to the habitation of a [[bishop]] and the [[cathedral]] [[clergy]] who lived apart from the lay community. Most cathedrals were not monasteries, and were served by [[Canon (priest)|canons secular]], which were communal but not monastic. However, some were run by monasteries orders, such as [[Durham Cathedral]]. [[Westminster Abbey]] was for a short time a cathedral, and was a [[Benedictine]] monastery until the [[English Reformation|Reformation]], and its [[Chapter (religion)|Chapter]] preserves elements of the Benedictine tradition. See the entry [[cathedral]]. They are also to be distinguished from collegiate churches, such as [[St George's Chapel, Windsor]].

===Terms===
The term ''monastery'' is used generically to refer to any of a number of types of religious community. In the [[Roman Catholic]] religion and to some extent in certain branches of [[Buddhism]], there is a somewhat more specific definition of the term and many related terms.

[[Buddhist]] monasteries are generally called '''[[vihara]]''' ([[Pali]] language el). Viharas may be occupied by men or women, and in keeping with common English usage, a vihara populated by females may often be called a nunnery or a convent. However, vihara can also refer to a [[temple]]. In Tibetan Buddhism, monasteries are often called '''[[gompa]]'''. In [[Cambodia]], [[Laos]] and [[Thailand]], a monastery is called a ''[[wat]]''. In [[Burma]], a monastery is called a ''[[kyaung]]''.

A Christian monastery may be an '''[[abbey]]''' (i.e., under the rule of an [[abbot]]), or a '''[[priory]]''' (under the rule of a [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|prior]]), or conceivably a '''[[Hermitage (religious retreat)|hermitage]]''' (the dwelling of a [[hermit]]). It may be a community of men ([[monk]]s) or of women ([[nun]]s). A [[Charterhouse (monastery)|charterhouse]] is any monastery belonging to the [[Carthusian]] order. In [[Eastern Christianity]], a very small monastic community can be called a '''[[skete]]''', and a very large or important monastery can be given the dignity of a '''[[lavra]]'''.

The great communal life of a Christian monastery is called [[cenobitic]], as opposed to the [[anchorite|anchoretic]] (or anchoritic) life of an [[anchorite]] and the [[eremitical|eremitic]] life of a [[hermit]]. There has also been, mostly under the [[Osmanli]] occupation of Greece and Cyprus, an "idiorrhythmic" lifestyle where monks come together but being able to own things individually and not being obliged to work for the common good.

In [[Hinduism]] monasteries are called [[matha]], [[mandir]], [[koil]], or most commonly an [[ashram]].

[[Jainism|Jains]] use the Buddhist term [[vihara]].

==Monastic life==
[[File:Procession monastique.jpg|thumb|Procession monastique]]
In most religions, life inside monasteries is governed by community rules that stipulate the gender of the inhabitants and require them to remain [[Celibacy|celibate]] and own little or no personal property. The degree to which life inside a particular monastery is socially separate from the surrounding populace can also vary widely; some religious traditions mandate isolation for purposes of contemplation removed from the everyday world, in which case members of the monastic community may spend most of their time isolated even from each other. Others focus on interacting with the local communities to provide services, such as teaching, medical care, or [[evangelism]]. Some monastic communities are only occupied seasonally, depending both on the traditions involved and the local climate, and people may be part of a monastic community for periods ranging from a few days at a time to almost an entire lifetime.
{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}}

Life within the walls of a monastery may be supported in several ways: by manufacturing and selling goods, often [[agricultural]] products; by donations or [[alms]]; by rental or investment incomes; and by funds from other organizations within the religion, which in the past formed the traditional support of monasteries. There has been a long tradition of Christian monasteries providing hospitable, charitable and hospital services. Monasteries have often been associated with the provision of education and the encouragement of scholarship and research,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Peterson |first=Herman A. |date=2010 |title=The Genesis of Monastic Libraries |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25750346 |journal=Libraries & the Cultural Record |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=320–332 |doi=10.1353/lac.2010.0001 |jstor=25750346 |s2cid=161518883 |issn=1932-4855}}</ref> which has led to the establishment of schools and colleges and the association with universities. Monastic life has adapted to modern society by offering computer services, [[accounting]] services and management as well as modern hospital and educational administration.<ref>{{Citation |last=Lall |first=Marie |title=The alternative: Monastic education |date=2021 |work=Myanmar’s Education Reforms |pages=101–129 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv13xprwx.9 |access-date=2024-05-03 |series=A pathway to social justice? |publisher=UCL Press |jstor=j.ctv13xprwx.9 |isbn=978-1-78735-387-9}}</ref>

==Buddhism==
[[File:Taktsang Palphug Monastery aka Paro Taktsang aka Tiger's Nest, July 2016 13.jpg|thumb|left|Taktsang Palphug Monastery, also known as [[Paro Taktsang]] or "Tiger's Nest"]]
[[File:Mendicant Monk Sitting on Xindong Street, Taipei 20140103.jpg|thumb|left|Mendicant monk sitting on Xindong Street, Taipei]]

Buddhist monasteries, known as '''[[vihara|vihāra]]''' in [[Pali]] and in [[Sanskrit]], emerged sometime around the fourth century BCE from the practice of [[vassa]], a retreat undertaken by Buddhist monastics during the South Asian [[wet season]]. To prevent wandering [[bhikkhu|monks]] and [[bhikkhuni|nuns]] from disturbing new plant-growth or becoming stranded in inclement weather, they were instructed to remain in a fixed location for the roughly three-month period typically beginning in mid-July.

These early fixed ''vassa'' retreats took place in pavilions and parks that wealthy supporters had donated to the [[sangha]]. Over the years, the custom of staying on property held in common by the ''sangha'' as a whole during the ''vassa'' retreat evolved into [[cenobitic monasticism]], in which monks and nuns resided year-round in monasteries.

In [[Buddhism in India|India]], Buddhist monasteries gradually developed into centres of learning where philosophical principles were developed and debated; this tradition continues in the monastic universities of [[Vajrayana| Vajrayana Buddhists]], as well as in religious schools and universities founded by religious orders across the Buddhist world. In modern times, living a settled life in a monastery setting has become{{when|date=September 2020}} the most common lifestyle for Buddhist monks and nuns across the globe.

Whereas early monasteries are considered{{by whom|date=September 2020}} to have been held in common by the entire sangha, in later years this tradition diverged in a number of countries. Despite ''[[vinaya]]'' prohibitions on possessing wealth, many monasteries became large landowners, much like monasteries in medieval Christian Europe. In [[Chinese Buddhism]], peasant families worked monastic-owned land in exchange for paying a portion of their yearly crop to the resident monks in the monastery, just as they would to a [[feudal]] landlord. In [[Buddhism in Sri Lanka|Sri&nbsp;Lanka]] and in [[Tibetan Buddhism]], the ownership of a monastery often became vested in a single monk, who would often keep the property within the family by passing it on to a nephew ordained as a monk. In [[Buddhism in Japan|Japan]], where civil authorities permitted Buddhist monks to marry, the position of head of a temple or monastery sometimes became hereditary, passed from father to son over many generations.

Forest monasteries – most commonly found in the [[Theravada]] traditions of Southeast Asia and Sri&nbsp;Lanka – are monasteries dedicated primarily to the study and cultivation of [[Buddhist meditation]], rather than to scholarship or ceremonial duties. Forest monasteries often function like early Christian monasteries, with small groups of monks living an essentially hermit-like life gathered loosely around a respected elder teacher. While the [[Dhutanga|wandering lifestyle]] practised by [[Gautama Buddha|the Buddha]] and by his disciples continues to be the ideal model for forest-tradition monks in [[Thai Forest Tradition|Thailand]], [[Myanmar]], [[Sri Lanka]] and elsewhere, practical concerns—including shrinking wilderness areas, lack of access to lay supporters, dangerous wildlife, and dangerous border conflicts—dictate that increasing numbers of "meditation" monks live in monasteries, rather than wandering.

Tibetan Buddhist monasteries or [[gompa]]s are sometimes known as '''lamaseries''', with their monks sometimes (mistakenly) known as [[lama]]s. [[Helena Blavatsky]]'s [[Theosophical Society]] named its initial New York City meeting-place "the Lamasery".<ref>{{cite magazine|author= Crowley, John|title= Madame and the Masters: Blavatsky's cosmic soap opera |magazine= Harper's |date= February 2013 |page= 84}}</ref>

Notable Buddhist monasteries include:
* [[Donglin Temple (Jiangxi)|Donglin Temple]], [[Jiangxi]] (China)
* [[Fo Guang Shan Monastery]], Taiwan 
* [[Jetavana]], [[Shravasti]] (India)
* [[Nalanda]], India
* [[Pa-Auk Forest Monastery]], Myanmar 
* [[Po Lin Monastery]], Hong Kong
* [[Tengboche Monastery]], Nepal
For a further list of Buddhist monasteries see [[list of Buddhist temples]].

===Trends===
Buddhist monasteries include some of the largest in the world. [[Drepung Monastery]] in Tibet housed around 10,000 monks prior to the [[Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China|Chinese invasion]]<ref>{{cite web|title= Tibet in Louisville|url= http://www.spiritualtravels.info/blog/page/10/|website= Spiritual Travels|publisher= Lori |access-date= 2013-02-11|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020734/http://www.spiritualtravels.info/blog/page/10/|archive-date=2017-11-07|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Monks under siege in monasteries as protest ends in a hail of gunfire |author= Macartney, Jne |date= March 12, 2008 |work= The Sunday Times|url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3528078.ece|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080511205447/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3528078.ece|url-status= dead|archive-date= May 11, 2008}}</ref>
in 1950–1951. {{As of | 2020}} the relocated monastery in India houses around 8,000.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

==Christianity==
{{Main|Christian monasticism}}
[[File:Poustevník v jeskyni - Lochotínský park Plzeň.jpg|thumb|''Hermit in the cave'' – Lochotín park in [[Plzeň]]]]

According to tradition, [[Christian monasticism]] began in [[Egypt]] with [[Anthony the Great]]. Originally, all Christian monks were [[hermit]]s seldom encountering other people.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Goswami |first=Anita |date=2005 |title=Hermit to Cenobitic: A Study in Early Christian Monasticism |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44145947 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=66 |pages=1329–1335 |jstor=44145947 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref>

A transitional form of monasticism was later created by [[Saint Amun|Ammonas]] in which "solitary" monks lived close enough to one another to offer mutual support as well as gathering together on Sundays for common services.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brakke |first=David |date=2001 |title=The Making of Monastic Demonology: Three Ascetic Teachers on Withdrawal and Resistance |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3654409 |journal=Church History |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=19–48 |doi=10.2307/3654409 |jstor=3654409 |issn=0009-6407}}</ref>

It was [[Pachomius the Great]] who developed the idea of [[cenobitic monasticism]]: having renunciates live together and worship together under the same roof. Some attribute his mode of communal living to the [[barracks]] of the [[Roman Army]] in which Pachomios served as a young man.<ref>Dunn, Marilyn. The Emergence of Monasticism: From the Desert Fathers to the Early Middle Ages. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. p. 29.</ref> Soon the Egyptian desert blossomed with monasteries, especially around Nitria ([[Wadi El Natrun]]), which was called the "Holy City". Estimates are that upwards of 50,000 monks lived in this area at any one time.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} Eremetism never died out though, but was reserved only for those advanced monks who had worked out their problems within a cenobitic monastery.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

The idea caught on, and other places followed:
* Upon his return from the [[Council of Serdica]], [[Athanasius of Alexandria]] established [[Monastery of Saint Athanasius|the first Christian monastery in Europe]] circa 344 near modern-day [[Chirpan]] in [[Bulgaria]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liternet.bg/publish10/eshopova/manastiryt.htm|title=Манастирът в с. Златна Ливада – най-старият в Европа|publisher=LiterNet|language=bg|date=30 April 2004|access-date=18 May 2012}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2024}}
* [[Mar Awgin]] founded a monastery on [[Mount Izla]] above [[Nusaybin]] in [[Mesopotamia]] (~350), and from this monastery the cenobitic tradition spread in Mesopotamia, [[Persia]], [[Armenia]], Georgia and even India and China.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}
* [[Mar Saba]] organized the monks of the [[Judaean Desert]] in a monastery close to [[Bethlehem]] (483), and this is considered the mother of all monasteries of [[Eastern Orthodoxy]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}
* [[Benedict of Nursia]] founded the monastery of [[Monte Cassino]] in Italy (529), which was the seed of [[Roman Catholic]] monasticism in general, and of the [[Order of Saint Benedict]] in particular.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}
* The [[Carthusians]] were founded by [[Bruno of Cologne]] at the [[Grande Chartreuse]], from which the religious Order takes its name, in the eleventh century as an eremitical community, and remains the [[motherhouse]] of the Order.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}
* [[Jerome]] and [[Paula of Rome]] decided to go and live a hermit's life in [[Bethlehem]] and founded several monasteries in the Holy Land. This way of life inspired the foundation of the [[Hieronymites]] in [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]]. The [[Monastery of Santa María del Parral]] in [[Segovia]] is the [[motherhouse]] of the Order.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

===Western Christianity===
[[File:Monte Cassino Abbey.jpg|thumb|left|[[Abbey]] of [[Monte Cassino]], originally built by [[Benedict of Nursia]], shown here as rebuilt after World War&nbsp;II]]
In the [[Western Christianity|Western Christian Church]], the life of prayer and communal living was one of rigorous schedules and self-sacrifice. Prayer was their work, and the Office prayers took up much of a monk's waking hours – [[Matins]], [[Lauds]], [[Prime (liturgy)|Prime]], [[Terce]], daily Mass, [[Sext]], [[None (liturgy)|None]], [[Vespers]], and [[Compline]]. In between prayers, monks were allowed to sit in the cloister and work on their projects of writing, copying, or decorating books. These would have been assigned based on a monk's abilities and interests. The non-scholastic types were assigned to physical labour of varying degrees.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

The main meal of the day took place around noon, often taken at a [[refectory table]], and consisted of the most simple  foods e.g.,&nbsp;poached fish, bread,  vegetables, eggs, cheese, boiled oats. While they ate, scripture would be read from a pulpit above them. Since no other words were allowed to be spoken, monks developed communicative gestures. Abbots and notable guests were honoured with a seat at the high table, while everyone else sat perpendicular to that in the order of seniority. This practice remained when some monasteries became universities after the first millennium, and can still be seen at [[Oxford University]] and [[Cambridge University]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Monasteries were important contributors to the surrounding community. They were centres of intellectual progression and education. They welcomed aspiring priests to come and study and learn, allowing them even to challenge doctrine in dialogue with superiors. The earliest forms of [[musical notation]] are attributed to a monk named [[Notker of St Gall]], and was spread to musicians throughout [[Europe]] by way of the interconnected monasteries. Since monasteries offered respite for weary [[pilgrim]] travellers, monks were obligated also to care for their injuries or emotional needs. Over time, lay people started to make [[Christian pilgrimage|pilgrimages]] ''to'' monasteries instead of just using them as a stopover. By this time, they had sizeable libraries that attracted learned tourists. Families would donate a son in return for blessings. During the [[Plague (disease)|plague]]s, monks helped to till the fields and provide food for the sick.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

A Warming House, or [[calefactory]], is a common part of a [[medieval]] monastery, where monks went to warm themselves. It was often the only room in the monastery where a fire was lit.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

====Catholic====
[[File:Mont-Saint-Michel vu du ciel.jpg|thumb|[[Mont-Saint-Michel]]]]
[[File:Henrykow former Cistercian abbey 2019 P05 aerial view.jpg|thumb|[[Cistercian Monastery Complex in Henryków]]]]
[[File:595viki Lubiąż. Foto Barbara Maliszewska.jpg|thumb|[[Lubiąż Abbey]]]]
[[File:Krzeszow 03.jpg|thumb|[[Krzeszów Abbey]]]]

A number of distinct [[monastic order]]s developed within Roman Catholicism:

* [[Camaldolese]] monks
* [[Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross]], priests and brothers, all of whom live together like monks according to the [[Rule of St. Augustine]]
* [[Hermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel|Carmelite hermits]] and [[Carmelites|Carmelite nuns]] (from the Ancient Observance and [[Discalced Carmelites|Discalced branch]])
* [[Cistercians|Cistercian Order]], with monks and nuns (both of the Original Observance and of the [[Trappist]] reform)
* [[Monastic Family of Bethlehem, of the Assumption of the Virgin and of Saint Bruno|Monks and Sisters of Bethlehem]]
* [[Minim (religious order)|Order of Minims]], founded by [[Francis of Paola]]
* [[Order of Saint Benedict]], known as the Benedictine monks and nuns, founded by [[Benedict of Nursia]] with [[Scholastica]], stresses manual labour in self-subsistent monasteries. See also: [[Cluniac Reforms]]
* [[Poor Clares|Order of Saint Claire]], best known as the Poor Clares (of all the observances)
* [[Hieronymites|Order of Saint Jerome]], inspired by [[Jerome]] and [[Paula of Rome]], known as the Hieronymite monks and nuns
* [[Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit]], known as the Pauline Fathers
* [[Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary]], also known as Sisters of the Annunciation or Annociades, founded by [[Joan of France, Duchess of Berry|Joan of France]]
* [[Carthusians|Order of the Carthusians]], a hermitical religious order founded by [[Bruno of Cologne]]
* [[Order of the Immaculate Conception]], also known as the Conceptionists, founded by [[Beatrice of Silva]]
* [[Order of the Most Holy Annunciation]], also known as Turchine Nuns or Blue Nuns, founded by [[Maria Vittoria De Fornari Strata]]
* [[Bridgettines|Order of the Most Holy Savior]], known as Bridgettine nuns and monks, founded by [[Bridget of Sweden]]
* [[Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary]], known as the Visitandine nuns, founded by [[Francis de Sales]] and [[Jane Frances de Chantal]]
* [[Passionist]]s
* [[Premonstratensian|Premonstratensian canons]] ("The White Canons")
* [[Tironensian|Tironensian monks]] ("The Grey Monks")
* [[Valliscaulian|Valliscaulian monks]]

While in English most [[mendicant Order]]s use the monastic terms of monastery or [[priory]], in the [[Romance languages|Latin languages]], the term used by the [[friar]]s for their houses is [[convent]], from the [[Latin language|Latin]] ''conventus'', e.g.,&nbsp;({{langx|it|convento}}) or ({{langx|fr|couvent}}), meaning "gathering place". [[Franciscans]] commonly call their house a "friary". {{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

====Lutheran====
After the foundation of the [[Lutheran Church]]es, some monasteries in Lutheran lands (such as [[Amelungsborn Abbey]] near [[Negenborn]] and [[Loccum Abbey]] in [[Rehburg-Loccum]]) and convents (such as [[Ebstorf Abbey]] near the town of [[Uelzen]] and [[Bursfelde Abbey]] in [[Bursfelde]]) adopted the Lutheran Christian faith.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medievalhistories.com/kloster-ebstorf-convent-bad-bevensen-near-luneburg/|title=Kloster Ebstorf|work=Medieval Histories |date=8 August 2014|language=en|access-date=20 November 2017|quote=The monastery is mentioned for the first time in 1197. It belongs to the group of so-called Lüneklöstern (monasteries of Lüne), which became Lutheran convents following the Protestant Reformation. […] It is currently one of several Lutheran convents maintained by the Monastic Chamber of Hanover (Klosterkammer Hannover), an institution of the former Kingdom of Hanover founded by its Prince-Regent, later King George IV of the United Kingdom, in 1818, in order to manage and preserve the estates of Lutheran convents. |last1=Histories |first1=Medieval }}</ref>

In 1947 Mother [[Basilea Schlink]] and Mother Martyria founded the [[Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary]], in [[Darmstadt, Germany]]. 

In 1948, [[Bavaria]]n Lutheran priest Walter Hümmer and his wife Hanna founded the [[Communität Christusbruderschaft Selbitz]].

In 1958, [[Arthur Kreinheder]] established The Congregation of the Servants of Christ at St. Augustine's House in [[Oxford, Michigan]]. It is a Lutheran monastery in the Benedictine tradition.<ref name="Fischer1990">{{cite book |last1=Fischer |first1=Linda Kristine |title=The Geography of Protestant Monasticism |date=1990 |publisher=University of Minnesota |page=274 |language=English}}</ref> Strong ties remain with this community and their brothers in Sweden ([[Östanbäck Monastery]]) and in Germany the ([[Priory of St. Wigbert]]).<ref>[http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/klostren/OSTANENG.htm Östanbäck monastery] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813114047/http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/klostren/OSTANENG.htm |date=13 August 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wigberti.de/ |title=Priorat St. Wigberti: Unser Kloster |access-date=29 August 2011 |archive-date=27 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827033038/http://www.wigberti.de/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 

In Germany, [[Communität Casteller Ring]] is a Benedictine Lutheran community for women.<ref>[http://www.schwanberg.de/index.php/communitaet-casteller-ring-ev.html Communität Casteller Ring] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911174924/http://www.schwanberg.de/index.php/communitaet-casteller-ring-ev.html |date=11 September 2011 }}</ref>

===Anglican===
In the 19th-century monasticism was revived in the [[Church of England]], leading to the foundation of such institutions as the [[House of the Resurrection]], [[Mirfield]] ([[Community of the Resurrection]]), [[Nashdom Abbey]] ([[Benedictine]]), [[Cleeve Priory]] ([[Community of the Glorious Ascension]]) and [[Ewell Monastery]] ([[Cistercian]]), [[Benedictine]] orders, [[Franciscan]] orders and the Orders of the Holy Cross, Order of St.&nbsp;Helena.

=== Eastern Orthodox ===
<!-- This section is linked from [[Canonical hours]] -->
{{main|Eastern Christian monasticism|Degrees of Eastern Orthodox monasticism}} 

[[File:Meteora Monastery - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|The [[Monastery of Varlaam]] in [[Meteora]], Thessaly, Greece]]
[[File:Athos 13.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Athos]]]]

In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and [[Eastern Catholic Church]], both monks and nuns follow a similar [[ascetic]] discipline, and even their [[religious habit]] is the same (though nuns wear an extra veil, called the ''[[apostolnik]]''). Unlike [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] monasticism, the Eastern Orthodox do not have distinct religious orders, but a single monastic form throughout the Eastern Orthodox Church. Monastics, male or female, live away from the world, in order to pray for the world.

Monasteries vary from the very large to the very small. There are three types of monastic houses in the Eastern Orthodox Church:
* A [[cenobium]] is a monastic community where monks live together, work together, and pray together, following the directions of an abbot and the elder monks. The concept of the cenobitic life is that when many men (or women) live together in a monastic context, like rocks with sharp edges, their "sharpness" becomes worn away and they become smooth and polished. The largest monasteries can hold many thousands of monks and are called ''[[lavra]]s''. In the cenobium the [[daily office]], work and meals are all done in common.
* A [[skete]] is a small monastic establishment that usually consist of one elder and two or three disciples. In the skete most prayer and work are done in private, coming together on Sundays and [[feast day]]s. Thus, skete life has elements of both solitude and community, and for this reason is called the "middle way".
* A [[hermit]] is a monk who practises asceticism but lives in solitude rather than in a monastic community.

One of the great centres of Eastern Orthodox monasticism is [[Mount Athos]] in [[Greece]], which, like [[Vatican City]], is self-governing. It is located on an isolated peninsula approximately {{convert|20|mi|km}} long and {{convert|5|mi|km}} wide, and is administered by the heads of the 20 monasteries. Today the population of the Holy Mountain is around 2,200 men only and can only be visited by men with special permission granted by both the Greek government and the government of the Holy Mountain itself.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2025 |title=Mount Athos |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/454/ |website=UNESCO World Heritage Convention}}</ref>

===Oriental Orthodox===
[[File:Haghpat monastery 04.JPG|thumb|[[Haghpat Monastery]], Armenia]]
[[File:Betremariam Monastery (Tana) Entrance.jpg|thumb|Betremariam Monastery (Tana)]]

The [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] churches, distinguished by their [[Miaphysitism|Miaphysite]] beliefs, consist of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]], [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]] (whose Patriarch is considered first among equals for the following churches), [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]], [[Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church]], [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church|Indian Orthodox Church]], and [[Syriac Orthodox Church]] of Antioch.

The monasteries of St. Macarius (''[[Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great|Deir Abu Makaria]]'') and St. Anthony (''[[Monastery of Saint Anthony|Deir Mar Antonios]]'') are the oldest monasteries in the world and under the patronage of the Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Slackman |first=Michael |date=2005-09-29 |title=In Egyptian desert, cells of earliest monks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/world/africa/in-egyptian-desert-cells-of-earliest-monks.html |access-date=2024-05-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Others===
The last years of the 18th&nbsp;century marked in the Christian Church the beginnings of growth of monasticism among [[Protestant]] denominations. The center of this movement was in the United States and Canada beginning with the [[Shakers|Shaker]] Church, which was founded in England and then moved to the United States. In the 19th&nbsp;century many of these monastic societies were founded as Utopian communities based on the monastic model in many cases. Aside from the Shakers, there were the [[Amana Colonies]], the [[Anabaptist]]s, and others. Many did allow marriage but most had a policy of [[celibacy]] and communal life in which members shared all things communally and disavowed personal ownership.

Among [[Conservative Anabaptists]] are the [[Bruderhof Communities]], which have experienced extensive growth around the world.

Other Protestant Christian denominations also engage in monasticism, including other [[Reformed Christianity|Reformed]] (Continental Reformed, Presbyterian and Congregationalist) denominations. In the 1960s, experimental monastic groups were formed in which both men and women were members of the same house and also were permitted to be married and have children{{snd}}these were operated on a communal form.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

=== Trends ===

There is a growing Christian [[New Monasticism|neo-monasticism]], particularly among evangelical Christians.<ref>Bill Tenny-Brittian, ''Hitchhiker's Guide to Evangelism'', p. 134 (Chalice Press, 2008). {{ISBN|978-0-8272-1454-5}}</ref>

==Hinduism==

===Advaita Vedanta===
[[File:Vidyashankara Temple at Shringeri.jpg|thumb|Hindu [[matha]], Vidyasankara Temple]]

In Hinduism, monks have existed for a long time, and with them, their respective monasteries, called [[matha]]s. Important among them are the chatur-amnaya mathas established by [[Adi Shankara]] which formed the nodal centres of under whose guidance the ancient Order of Advaitin monks were re-organised under ten names of the [[Dashanami Sampradaya]].

* [[Ramakrishna Math]]

===Sri Vaishnava===
[[File:Parakala Mutt - as it stands today.jpg|thumb|Parakala Mutt]]

[[Ramanuja]] heralded a new era in the world of Hinduism by reviving the lost faith in it and gave a firm doctrinal basis to the [[Vishishtadvaita]] philosophy which had existed since time immemorial. He ensured the establishment of a number of [[matha]]s of his [[Sri Vaishnava]] creed at different important centres of pilgrimage.

*[[Emar Matha]] at [[Puri]]
*Sriranga Narayana Jeeyar Mutt at [[Srirangam]]
*Tirumala Pedda Jeeyangar Mutt at [[Tirupati]]
Later on, other famous Sri Vaishnava theologians and religious heads established various important mathas such as
*Vanamamalai Mutt
*[[Parakala Mutt]]
*[[Ahobila Mutt]]

===Nimbarka Vaishnava===
[[File:Ukhra Nimbarka Peeth Mahanta Asthal.JPG|thumb|Ukhra Nimbarka Peeth Mahanta Asthal]]

[[Nimbarka Sampradaya]] of Nimbarkacharya is popular in North, West and East India and has several important Mathas.
*Nimbarakacharya Peeth at Salemabad, [[Rajasthan]]
*Kathia Baba ka Sthaan at [[Vrindavan]]
*[[Ukhra Mahanta Asthal]] at [[Ukhra]] in [[West Bengal]]
*Howrah Nimbarka Ashram at [[Howrah]]

===Dvaita Vedanta===
[[Ashta matha]] (eight monasteries) of [[Udupi]] were founded by [[Madhvacharya]] (Madhwa acharya), a [[dwaitha]] philosopher.
* [[Gaud Saraswat]] Math
* [[Kashi Math]] at [[Varanasi]], [[Uttar Pradesh]]
* [[Gokarna Math]] at Canacona, [[Goa]]{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

==Jainism==
[[Jainism]], founded by [[Mahavira]] {{circa|570 BC}}, has had its own monasteries since the 5th century BC.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

==Sufism==
Islam discourages monasticism, which is referred to in the Quran as "an invention".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2002.02.0002:sura=57:verse=27|title=The Quran, sura 57, verse 27|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=2017-11-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=57&verse=27|title=The Quranic Arabic Corpus – Translation|website=corpus.quran.com|access-date=2017-11-02}}</ref> However, the term "Sufi" is applied to Muslim mystics who, as a means of achieving union with Allah, adopted ascetic practices including wearing a garment made of coarse wool called "sūf".<ref>Christopher Melchert, "Origins and Early Sufism", in Lloyd Ridgeon, ed., ''Cambridge Companion to Sufism'' (2014), 3–23. 
{{doi|10.1017/CCO9781139087599.003}}</ref> The term "[[Sufism]]" comes from "sūfī" meaning the person who wears "sūf".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Khanam|first=Dr|date=2011-06-01|title=The Origin and Evolution of Sufism|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265289696|journal=الإيضاح|volume=22}}</ref> But in the course of time, Sufi has come to designate all Muslim believers in mystic union.<ref>"The Neoplatonist Roots of Sufi Philosophy" by Kamuran Godelek, ''20th World Congress of Philosophy'', <sup>[http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/CompGode.htm]</sup></ref>

== Monasteries in literature ==
[[Matthew Gregory Lewis|Matthew Lewis]]'s 1796 gothic novel ''[[The Monk]]'' has as parts of its setting both a fictional monastery and nunnery in Spain at the time of the [[Spanish Inquisition|Inquisition]]. Many have interpreted Lewis's novel as a critique of [[Catholicism]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Watkins |first=Daniel P. |date=1986 |title=Social Hierarchy in Matthew Lewis's "the Monk" |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/29532407 |journal=Studies in the Novel |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=115–124 |jstor=29532407 |issn=0039-3827}}</ref> [[Jane Austen]] sets the latter half of her 1818 novel ''[[Northanger Abbey]]'' in an out of use monastery, reflecting on [[Henry VIII]]'s abolition of monasticism in England and the contemporary abolition of monasticism in France in the wake of the [[French Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moore |first=Roger E. |date=2011 |title=The Hidden History of Northanger Abbey: Jane Austen and the Dissolution of the Monasteries |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23049354 |journal=Religion & Literature |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=55–80 |jstor=23049354 |issn=0888-3769}}</ref> Convents for female monastics, or nunneries, were often portrayed as punishments for women unable or unwilling to marry.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rogers |first=Katharine M. |date=1985 |title=Fantasy and Reality in Fictional Convents of the Eighteenth Century |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40246570 |journal=Comparative Literature Studies |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=297–316 |jstor=40246570 |issn=0010-4132}}</ref> 

In the 1880 novel ''[[The Brothers Karamazov]]'', [[Fyodor Dostoevsky|Fyodor Dostoyevsky]] was inspired by real-life accounts of Orthodox monasticism. Parts of the novel focus in particular on the controversy surrounding the institution of "elderhood" in Orthodox monasticism. Dostoyevsky's understanding of the tradition of elderhood is taken largely from ''Life of Elder Leonid of Optina'' by Father Kliment Zeder-gol'm, from which he quotes directly in chapter 5, book 1 of the Brother's Karamazov.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Stanton |first1=Leonard J. |last2=Zedergol'm |last3=Dostoevsky |date=1990 |title=Zedergol'm's Life of Elder Leonid of Optina As a Source of Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/130525 |journal=The Russian Review |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=443–455 |doi=10.2307/130525 |jstor=130525 |issn=0036-0341|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 

The 1980 historical novel [[The Name of the Rose]], by Italian author, philosopher, and [[Semiotics|semiotician]] [[Umberto Eco]], is set in a monastery in Italy in the year 1327, and the book creates a tableau of monastic life in the 14th century. It is an intellectual murder mystery; said to be a [[Postmodernist literature|postmodernist]] work, combining [[metanarrative]] and [[semiotics]] with biblical analysis and medieval studies. The narrative itself takes place at a [[Benedictine]] abbey during the controversy regarding the doctrines about the [[absolute poverty of Christ]] and [[apostolic poverty]] between branches of the [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] and [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] orders. The setting was inspired by the monumental [[Sacra di San Michele|Saint Michael's Abbey]] in [[Susa Valley]], Piedmont.

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Dissolution of the monasteries]]
* [[Ecovillage]]
* [[Intentional community]]
* [[Khanqah]]
* [[Krishnapura matha]]
* [[List of abbeys and priories]]
* [[List of Buddhist temples]]
* [[List of monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)]]
* [[Monasticism]]
* [[Mount Athos]]
* [[New Monasticism]]
* [[Pilgrimage]]
* [[Religious order]]
* [[Rota (architecture)]]
* [[Shivalli]]
* [[Taoism]]
* [[Thomas Merton]]
* [[Vihara]]
* [[Wudangshan]]
* [[Zawiya (institution)|Zawiya]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Monasteries}}
{{wiktionary}}
* [http://www.historyfish.net/monastics/monastics.html Public Domain photographs and texts, and information regarding medieval monasteries.]
* [http://www.vaticanoweb.com/monasteri/initalia.asp Monastery Italy]
* [https://archive.today/20161220065937/http://monasteries.org.ua/en/searchmonasteries Monasteries Search]{{snd}}UOC Synod Commission for Monasteries
* [https://archive.today/20161220065938/http://monasteries.org.ua/en/geomaps/gmap Google-map]{{snd}}UOC Synod Commission for Monasteries

{{RC consecrated life}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Monasteries| ]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures]]
[[Category:Total institutions]]