Monastery

The monastery (of the Greek monos , only ), is a whole of building S where live Moines and moniales. One also speaks about Abbaye or Prieuré. These two last are monasteries, the first comprising a community of monks more important than the second. Often, the priory is dependant on an abbey.

Language

  • In the French Toponymy, the term of Former French moutier or moustier (for the southernmost zones) corresponds to the presence (possibly last) of a monastery: Trois-Moutiers (Vienna), the island of Noirmoutier are examples. This word has as an etymology the Latin name monasterium , which directly gave monastery , but which also means with the Middle Ages simply church

Christian monasteries

History

The Christian monachism started in Egypt and continued later in Abyssinie (Ethiopia). According to the tradition, at the 3rd century Saint Antoine was the first Christian to adopt this lifestyle. Others followed time little afterwards.

In the beginning, all the monks chétiens were hermits who seldom met other people. But because of the extreme difficulty of the solitary life, much of monks failed in their vocation, and either turned over to their former lives in the city, or lost their spiritual illusions.

A transitory form of monachism was created later by Saint Amoun in which desmoines “solitary” lived rather close from/to each other to offer a mutual support and to gather Sundays for common services.

It was Saint Pacôme which recommended that monks live and venerate a worship together under the same roof (monachism cenobitic). Soon, the Egyptian desert became populated monasteries, especially around Nitrie, which was called the " holy city”. It is estimated that there were at least 50.000 monks who lived in this area at certain times.

As of the beginning, the monastic life recommended the assiduous reading of the Word of God. Principles of the Lectio divina, such as it was defined by Origène ( on the prayer ) were generally adopted in the rules of the monasteries. Pacôme, Augustin d' Hippone, Jerome, Benoît de Nursie prescribed the assiduous reading of the Word of God. Jean Cassien also recommended it, and formulated following Origène the rules of interpretation of the texts according to four directions.

The first theorist of the monachism in occident was the abbot Jean Cassien of Marseilles.

In occident, Saint Benoît de Nursie founded the Abbaye of the Mount-Cassin in 529.

Structure

  • the monasteries Benedictine S and Clunisien S were designed like the ideal Cité.

The most known example being “Three sisters of Provence” (Abbeys of Sénanque, Silvacane and the Thoronet, located in Provence).

Monasteries today

The number of monasteries still inhabited by religious communities is much less important than during their constructions. Indeed, revolutions, as well as the law of 1905 of nationalization of the goods of the clergy obliged a great number of monks France to leave their monasteries. Today, the fall of the Vocations of religious life, and the growing old Demography of the Monks and moniales saw many monasteries being emptied of their community. However, there have remained approximately 1/4 of the full number of the monasteries built for 1000 years which still live according to the rules Bénédictines, Cisterciennes or Trappistes. Much knew to be raised and develop a religious and economic activity intense.

See too

Related articles

External bonds

  • Monasteries and Abbayes in Provence
  • Guide of the Monasteries and their productions
  • Abbayes.net proposing 278 Internet sites!
  • Site of the Monastery of Ganagobie
  • Site of the Monastery of Notre-Dame of the Mount-Carmel, Haïfa, Israel

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