Monks and Nuns

The first monks were hermits, solitary devout men, who lived off the land on their own, praying and contemplating God. Others of a like mind would settle near them for comfort and safety. Slowly they joined together and communities were formed.

Children could start to train as monks and nuns as young as seven. It was often an escape from poverty and parents were confident their children would never be homeless or hungry. The boys were educated, but the girls weren’t as a rule, as it was felt unnecessary for women. However you didn’t have to be a child to become a monk or nun, and novices were welcomed at any age.

Wallpainting in Innsbruck, Austria

Not everyone could settle down to monastic life. Initially they were forced to, but subsequently monasteries would set up an attached school to educate young men who were not likely to be able to be monks. These eventually evolved into universities which, although still supported by the Church, were no longer part of the monastery.

When a man or woman prepared to be a monk or nun, they left the outside world behind and took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Their property had to be disposed of and they had to dedicate their lives to God, living apart from the world. Women had to pay a dowry to become ‘Brides of Christ’ and were, therefore, more often from richer families. They all wore the same basic robes and some went barefoot as penance, others wore hair shirts beneath their robes to remind them constantly of Jesus’ suffering. The men’s hair was tonsured; women wore a covering over their heads at all times.

Monks and the most austere orders of nuns would go to their church eight times a day. Their worship consisted of singing, chanting and reciting prayers. A typical day could be:

  • 2.00am Matins (for 2 hours)
  • 6.00am Prime
  • 7.00am Breakfast
  • 8.00am Meeting in the chapter house to discuss monastery business
  • 9.00am Terce
  • 11.00am High Mass (Sext)
  • 3.00pm None
  • 6.00pm Vespers
  • 7.00pm Compline
  • 8.00pm Bed (7pm in winter)

In between the services, the monks read and copied religious texts and music, taught the novices and worked in the garden and fields. They also made medicines and helped the sick and poor. They ate in silence whilst one of their number read from the Bible. Their food was poor, but fresh, mostly grown by themselves. They would have one meal a day in winter and two in summer. However, most of their time was spent in prayer.

Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire

Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire

Very early on, manuscripts were kept safe in monasteries; monks should read the Bible every day which meant Bibles had to be copied by hand, often beautifully decorated; a reverence of books and knowledge grew in almost all monks. The books held in a monastery’s library were secular as well as religious. There would be histories, biographies, epic poetry, science and mathematics, enabling the monks to learn and teach all subjects. With the invention of the printing press, monks were no longer required to copy texts and went back to their original aims of searching for spiritual peace.

Prior to the 12th century, religious houses were all independent. After that, different orders came into being and most houses chose to be under one of these, following their precepts in their daily life. The early 14th century was the heyday for monasteries but the Black Death decimated the number of monks & nuns and the numbers never really recovered.

Friars

A friar was a different kind of monk. Like monks, friars took vows and lived in a community. However, they took religion to the people, going out to preach and help people where they lived. Their vow of poverty was strict, and they had to beg.

Beguines

Statue of a Beguine, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Beguines were more often found in mainland Europe. They were women who voluntarily adopted a nun-like lifestyle and were more often from poorer families as little dowry was necessary. They lived in Beguine houses and supported themselves by weaving and doing housework. Their vows weren’t as binding as with nuns and could be rescinded if they wished to leave.

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