Medieval Society

Monks

A monk was a layman who sought to live a Christian life by entering a monastery and leaving the ordinary world behind. Monks took a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience; they were set apart from the rest of the world, even from the secular clergy, and were in theory at least among the most holy and venerated in medieval society.

The reality, in this as in the other elements of medieval society, was far more complex than this, and far more interesting.

Early monasteries Monks appeared very early in Christian history, but the early instances were what we would call hermits. They appear first in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire; people would go off into the desert (following the example of Christ) to seek God. They lived on minimum of worldly comforts, were celibate, fasted often, and scourged themselves. A famous early example was St. Simon the Stylite, lived atop a pillar for years.

The early monks lived alone, but the reputation of some for holiness caused other seekers to come to them for guidance and inspiration. Some of these imitated the saint and themselves became hermits. Whole colonies of hermits developed in this way, and communities began to form.

St. Pachomius (290-346) of Egypt was the first to try to organize these ad-hoc communities in a more formal way. He wrote a Rule to guide those who would live a monastic life that was followed by thousands of monks throughout the eastern Empire. The Rule stated that monks must obey their superiors and stressed the importance of manual labor. The Rule also established that any suprlus accumulated by the community must be distributed to the poor.

St. Basil (ca. 360) emphasized the virtues of communal living. His Rule had the monks not only live together in the same area but take common meals and engage in common prayers. He de-emphasized personal acts of asceticism and again emphasized manual labor.

Monasticism came to the West in the 4th century, with St. Athanasius (ca. 340), St. Martin of Tours (316-397), and St. John Cassian (360-432). It took its final medieval form with St. Benedict of Nursia (480-543), the real founder of western monasticism.

St. Benedict wrote the Holy Rule for monks--becomes known as the Benedictine Rule. Those who follow it are Benedictine monks, and this order still exists to this day. The classical ideals of moderation and stability inform this work; there is no heroic asceticism here, only a hard and disciplined life. The ideals of the Benedictine Rule are chastity, poverty, obedience, and stability. The aim of the monastic life is to bury one's will in the life of the monastery.

Benedictine Monasticism

The monastery was governed by the abbot, who served as holy father. He was elected by the monks and had absolute power over them. No monk could leave the monastery without his permission. The abbot, in turn, was responsible to the local bishop.

Each monastery had its own lands to support it. Early on, the lands were worked by the monks themselves, but by the central Middle Ages most of the farm work was performed by serfs. Many who entered the monasteries were of noble blood and could not farm, not that they would want to.

Daily Routine Each day was divided into phases of work and prayer. The work included tending gardens, overseeing the business of the monastery, doing various housekeeping and maintenance chores, and other types of ordinary work. In addition, during the early Middle Ages, monks began to take on other activities, the most notable of which was the copying of books. Working in the scriptorium became an important part of monastic labor.

Importance of prayer This was the opus dei, the "work of God", that accompanied the work of man. St. Benedict wrote "let nothing be preferred to the service of God" - prayer was to take first priority.

Benedictine monks prayed in common seven times a day, including once in the dead of night and again at daybreak. Additionally, there were numerous other opportunities for private prayer.

They typically prayed for others: for the salvation of the world, for relief and mercy for the poor, for protection from the barbarians. Most especially, they prayed for the salvation of those who had donated to the monastery. In fact, the regular offering of such prayers was sometimes a condition of the original donation.

Cistercians This order was founded at Citeaux in France.

Carmelites

Friars

A friar was a special kind of monk, one that almost contradicts the very idea of monasticism: a monk who lives in the world rather than trying to withdraw from it. This somewhat odd notion worked primarily because of the personality of the founders: St. Dominic and St. Francis.

The term "friar" is not a very precise one. It normally applies to either a Dominican or a Franciscan monk, though some lesser orders also followed their ideals. In original spirit, Dominicans and Franciscans were similar. They both re-emphasized the apostolic ideal of poverty, and they both strongly urged the ideal of service. After the death of the founders, however, these two orders developed along different lines.

The Dominicans dedicated themselves to fighting heresy. Toward this end, they armed themselves with deep learning and became the great Christian scholars of the later Middle Ages. They were preachers and teachers.

An Example Monastery