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CHRISTIAN

MONASTRIES

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8-07-2015

WHAT ARE MONASTERIES?


Historically - Christian monks were hermits who wanted to live
alone to study and pray.

Challenges it was difficult to take care of basic necessities.

Solution - Monks started to form groups where it was easier to


address these challenges, and eventually lived in monasteries.

Monasteries (monos means alone, in Greek) are buildings


occupied by a community of priests living in solitude.

FUNCTIONS
The greatest contribution was the field of education - The monks in
the monasteries were some of the few people in the Middle Ages
who knew how to read and write. They provided education to the
rest of the world. The monks also wrote books and recorded
events. If it wasn't for these books, we would know very little about
what happened during the Middle Ages.
Monasteries were places where travellers could stay during the
Middle Ages as there were very few inns during that time. They
also helped to feed the poor, take care of the sick, and provided
education to boys in the local community.

Some famous Monasteries - 1


St. Catherine

One of the oldest Christian


monastery in the world, the
Monastery of St. Catherine
near Mount Sinai dates from
the earliest years of the faith.
Its formidable walls, were
built by the Byzantine
emperor Justinian in the 6th
century.

Orval

Orval Abbey is a Cistercian


monastery in Belgium,
founded in 1132. The abbey is
well known for its history and
spiritual life but also for its
local production of the
Trappist beer Orval and a
specific cheese.

Mount Athos

The 'Holy Mountain', which is


forbidden to women and
children, is also a recognized
artistic site. The layout has
many monasteries, and its
school of painting influenced
the history of Orthodox art.

Some famous Monasteries - 2


Meteora

Metora (suspended in air)


is in Greece, built on
sandstone rock pillars. Access
was difficult, requiring
ladders lashed together. This
required a leap of faith the
ropes were replaced only
when the Lord let them
break.

Kiev

The Kiev Pechersk Lavra


contains numerous
architectural monuments,
ranging from he Great Lavra
Belltower, the notable feature
of the Kiev skyline, to
cathedrals to underground
cave systems and to strong
stone fortification walls.

Alcobaba

The Alcobaa Monastery is a


Roman Catholic Monastery in
central Portugal. It was
founded by the first
Portuguese King, Afonso
Henriques, in 1153. The
church and monastery were
the first Gothic buildings in
Portugal.

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