Medieval Monks and Monasteries

 The Lives of Medieval Monks 

                                                                  By: Lindsay Cocker  

Introduction to the Monk:

Monks were people that existed to live for and to spread the word of God. Every move, every breath, every activity was to be devoted to Christ's word.  Author of The World of Medieval Monasticism: Its History and Forms of Life, Gert Melville et. al precisely describes a monks purpose as he says, "One could thus see monks as points on a moral compass, as exemplary figures, and as models for the fact that hope of salvation could be realized." (2)They made promises to live a minimal life which included very few items, days spent at all church services, and vows of celibacy and silence; all of this to make a role model example out of themselves and to promote a faithful life to Christianity (3). To set them apart from everyone else, monks were often referred to as Hermits and lived lives that were unlike everyone else which meant different clothing, rules, and of course daily routines. 

History:

First Monks in Egypt (9)

Monks and monasteries came about after people became so devoted to Christianity, they felt they could no longer serve Christ in the way that felt most appropriate living amongst their communities and families. In third-century Egypt, people started to believe that they needed to be freed from the shackles that bound them to earth's life and needed an escape to fulfill their religious lives. Thus, they began to flee to deserts past the Nile, where nobody can find them. Bishops began to support this and had small shacks built as minimalistic shelters for the people who vowed to take on this life. Here, is where they were able to live a life of what Melville et al. describes as a life of, "[C]ontemplation, of penitence, and bodily chastisement, of sexual continence and manual labor." (2) All of this to be able to best serve their purpose on earth, which was complete devotion to Christ. 

Monastery Culture:

(8)

    First and foremost, Monks resided in secluded huts called, monasteries where they could remove themselves from the world and live life fully devoted to God. Monasteries fostered a place of apostolic, cultural, and educational values that correlated with that of Christianity(1). People who were recruited to be monks were often met with the offer of a decent education that included learning math, reading, writing, and Latin. With this, and the prestige surrounding a life devoted to Christ, was a highly respected career. However, it was not an easy lifestyle. When one becomes a monk, they took a vow of silence; this means they are not to engage in conversation with anyone and when they do, it should not be with anyone outside of the monastery and only for religious reasons (3).

When a person made the decision to take on this way of life, they would enter a monastery where many other monks lived. Each monk had a cell, but they all lived, prayed, ate, and engaged in religious acts under the same roof. This was convenient because it was all people who were living with the same purpose. A monastery was known as an "enclosed space" which was secluded. In these closed spaces, a monk engaged in hard manual labor and often went without so they can give to the surrounding community. This allowed them to be charitable, as directed by the bible (2). Much of this work was overseen by the abbot who lived within the monasteries. The abbot was the person in charge of all of the monks; the supervisor of everything that went on under the roof of the monastery (2).

The Abbot:

Saint Pachomius (7)
founder of the monastic life

 
 Within a monastery full of monks was a single person called, "The Abbot", who was the superior monk (3). The very first abbot was named, Saint Pachomius and he ultimately started the fulfillment of the abbot. In Medieval Christianity: A New History by Kevin Madigan, an abbot is described as, "[A] spiritual father to each of the monks, with whom he is expected to have a genuinely paternal relationship. He represents Christ to his monastic sons." The abbot served as the person who leads the other monks through a life of deliverance and obedience to God. Through this leadership and the culture of the monasteries, the monks' ultimate goal was to save their souls (1). The abbot lived among the monks to make sure they followed all of the rules and regulations associated with this life, but they also traveled among monasteries as they were socially and politically involved in government. It was an expectation in the monasteries that when a monk broke a rule, the brother monks were to notify the abbot. This was considered one of their duties. 

    

    Moreover, abbots were chosen via election in the 14th and 15th centuries. In The Abbots and Priors of Late Medieval and Reformation England, a review by Katherine Harvey, it is explained that there were sometimes issues with these elections. The article says, "[E]lections could be expensive and time-consuming affairs, and sometimes resulted in fierce disputes. They also provoked a range of attitudes, from religious sincerity to naked ambition, and also outright cynicism..." (4). It is safe to say these processes did not always come easy, which is interesting considering the vows monks make to their life of silence, charity, and every other Christian-belief. Nonetheless, the monasteries always had an abbot or multiple abbots to ensure the monks followed the life they chose to live.

A Monk's Daily Routine:

A monk's daily routine, at first glance, is a day fully devoted to prayer and acts for God. Monks engaged in godly activity many hours a day, seven days a week. In The World of Medieval Monasticism: Its History and Forms of Life, Gert Melville, et. al, describes a day in the life of a monk as, "The order of the day was firmly established, alternating between periods of prayer, work, eating, and sleeping." (2) Typically, monks did not leave the monastery without special permission. Everything they needed to be a successful monk resided within the walls of the monastery. They knew to start their days when the sun rose and then immediately cleaned themselves up and engaged in prayer and readings, then they worked, engaged with more prayer, and worked. Eating was intertwined in there, as well. It is important to note that while monks lived very simple lives without many physical objects, they never went without good food to eat, although meat was a rarety (3). 

(6)

(3)

Clothing and Possessions:

Much like everything in a monk's life was quite intentional, so was his dress. In the Middle Ages, dress often symbolized one's class and for monks, this was especially important (5). Between 1334 and 1342, there was much discussion over the dress of monks. Many general chapter meetings were spent discussing the technicalities of a monk's clothing and money. Although not everything was always fully agreed upon, some parts were. These parts are outlined in Monastic Dress in the Middle Ages: Precept and Practice by Barbara F. Harvey, she says, "[G]arments such as the tunic were to be circular and not have openings in the front or at the sides; colours were to be sober and in the case of outer garments black; fashions tending to reveal the shape of the body or of a limb were to be 

avoided, as was every kind of extravegance and vainglory" (5). In short, monks were to dress in clothing that was neutral, seemingly low in price, and modest at all times and while their clothing may seem simple, they certainly had many details they had to pay attention to appease the church leaders. 

Important Points:

1. Monks devoted their entire lives to God and Christ's word.

2. They devoted their lives to live purposefully for God and did this by living in monasteries secluded from the rest of the world.

3. They lived minimalistically.

4. Abbots that lived within the monastery were superior to the rest of the monks.

5. Their clothing was purposeful and it portrayed a simple life. 

Works Cited

(1) Madigan, Kevin. Medieval Christianity : A New History. Yale University Press, 2015. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=933087&site=eds-live&scope=site.

(2) Melville, Gert. The World of Medieval Monasticism: Its History and Forms of Life, Liturgical Press, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy-bloomu.klnpa.org/lib/bloomsburguniv-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4573283

(3) Cartwright, Mark. The Daily Life of Medieval Monks. 20 Oct. 2020, www.ancient.eu/article/1293/the-daily-life-of-medieval-monks/.

(4) Harvey, Katherine. “The Abbots and Priors of Late Medieval and Reformation England.” The Abbots and Priors of Late Medieval and Reformation England | Reviews in History, reviews.history.ac.uk/review/2060.

(5) Harvey, Barbara F. Monastic Dress in the Middle Ages: Precept and Practice. Trustees of the William Urry Memorial Fund (c/o the Chapter Library of Canterbury Cathedral), 1988.

(6) Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages, www.lordsandladies.org/monks-clothes-in-the-middle-ages.htm.

(7) “Saint Pachomius.” Saint Pachomius - New World Encyclopedia, www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Saint_Pachomius.

(8) Jones, Robert. “Inside a Medieval Monastery.” All About History, www.historyanswers.co.uk/medieval-renaissance/inside-a-medieval-monastery/.

(9)  Tharwat, Hany. “ON THE WAY TO THE FIRST CHRISTIANS OF EGYPT: THE RED SEA MONASTERY OF St. PAUL AND St. ANTHONY.” Portraits of Egypt, 18 May 2018, portraitsofegypt.com/en/english-on-the-way-to-the-first-christians-of-egypt-the-red-sea-monastery-of-st-paul-and-st-antony/.