From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abbey
of
Monte Cassino
, a famous monastery and the mother house of the
Order of Saint Benedict
.
The
Syrian
-
orthodox
monastery Mor Gabriel, founded in 397.
Asta Nørregaard
:
Christmas Night Mass celebrated in a French Nunnery
(1889)
Monasteries
are places where
monks
live. Although the word "monastery" is sometimes used for a place where
nuns
live, nuns usually live in a
convent
or
nunnery
.
[1]
[2]
The word
abbey
(from the
Syriac/Aramaic
[3]
word
abba
:
father
) is also used for a
Christian
monastery or convent. The monk in charge of an abbey is called an
abbot
; the nun in charge of an abbey is an
abbess
.
Several religions have a system of monasteries. Christian monasteries have a
chapel
for the monks to worship. Monks are not allowed to marry (celibacy). They are also not allowed to own anything. Everything they use, including their clothes, belongs to the monastery. During the
Middle Ages
after the
Roman Empire
was defeated, monasteries were some of the few places where knowledge still existed.
Some monasteries were built in places far away from where other people lived. The monks who live there live very isolated lives, growing their own food and looking after one another. Other monasteries were in or near
towns
. Monks do a lot of work in the
community
, including as
teaching
,
medical
care or telling people about
God
. Few monks live isolated lives nowadays.
Media related to
Monasteries
at Wikimedia Commons