medieval monasticism

A detailed Summary of medieval monasticism


There is little doubt that the monastic ideal exercised a powerful influence on the communities in which monasteries were found.

It has been estimated that there were around 340 religious houses and about 15,000 men and women in religious orders in the last quarter of the twelfth century in England and Wales. Rievaulx and the other surviving Yorkshire abbeys are testimony to the major building work then under way in that part of the European community. Abbots such as Ailred became influential 52figures in the church (Coleman, 1993). Italian abbots were automatic members of kings' councils, simply because of their station, their influence, and their service.

Though not the first monastery founded to serve Christian beliefs, and not even the first founded by St. Benedict, Monte Cassino was founded in 529 by Saint Benedict of Nursia on the site of an Apollonian temple, northwest of Naples, and was to become the best known. Monte Cassino became the home of the Benedictine Order and was for many centuries the leading monastery in w


That the order was (and remains) influential is indicated by the sheer numbers of leaders and those who were "sainthood eligible" generated through it: Gregory I was the first of 50 Benedictines who have occupied the papal throne; some others were Leo IV (800?-55); Gregory VII; Pius VII; and Gregory XVI (1765-1846). St. Augustine, the disciple of Gregory the Great who took the Benedictine rule to England late in the 6th century, became the first of a long list of Benedictine archbishops of Canterbury. As early as 1354 the order had provided 24 popes, 200 cardinals, 7000 archbishops, 15,000 bishops, 1560 canonized saints, and 5000 holy persons worthy of canonization, a number since increased to 40,000, and it had included 20 emperors, 10 empresses, 47 kings, 50 queens, and many other royal and noble persons. The order had 37,000 monks in the 14th century; in the 15th century it had 15,107. The Reformation drastically reduced the numbers of the Benedictines, but today, 1400 years after its founding, the order not only still exists, but is quite active in div

Some common words found in the essay are:
Monte Cassino, Gregory Benedictine, Divine Office, Abbots Ailred, MEDIEVAL MONASTICISM, Austin Friars, Present-day Christians, Wales Rievaulx, Benedict Nursia, St Augustine, monte cassino, benedictine rule, western europe,

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Category: Religion

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