The history of religion tells about the spiritual quest of different peoples through the ages. Faith has always been a companion of a person, gave meaning to his life and motivated not only for achievements in the field of the inner, but also for worldly victories. People, as you know, are social beings, and therefore often strive to find their like-minded people and create an association in which one could move together towards the intended goal. An example of such a community is the monastic orders, which included brothers of the same faith, united in understanding how to put the precepts of mentors into practice.
Egyptian hermits
Monasticism did not originate in Europe, it originates in the expanses of the Egyptian deserts. Here, as early as the 4th century, hermits appeared, striving to approach spiritual ideals in a solitary distance from the world with its passions and fuss. Not finding a place for themselves among people, they went into the desert, lived in the open air or in the ruins of some buildings. Often they were joined by followers. Together they worked, preached, prayed.
Monks inthe world were workers of different professions, and each brought something of his own to the community. In 328, Pachomius the Great, who was once a soldier, decided to organize the life of the brothers and founded a monastery, the activities of which were regulated by a charter. Soon similar associations began to appear in other places.
Light of Knowledge
In 375, Basil the Great organized the first major monastic society. Since then, the history of religion has flowed in a slightly different direction: together the brothers not only prayed and comprehended spiritual laws, but also studied the world, comprehended nature, and the philosophical aspects of being. Through the efforts of the monks, the wisdom and knowledge of mankind passed through the dark ages of the Middle Ages without getting lost in the past.
Reading and improvement in the scientific field was also the duty of the novices of the monastery in Monte Cassino, founded by Benedict of Nursia, considered the father of monasticism in Western Europe.
Benedictines
530 is considered the date when the first monastic order appeared. Benedict was famous for his asceticism, and a group of followers quickly formed around him. They were among the first Benedictines, as the monks were called in honor of their leader.
The life and activities of the brothers were conducted in accordance with the charter developed by Benedict of Nursia. The monks could not change their place of service, own any property and had to completely obey the abbot. The regulations prescribed the offering of prayers seven times a day, constant physical labor, punctuated by hoursrecreation. The charter determined the time of meals and prayers, the punishments for the delinquent, necessary to read the book.
The structure of the monastery
Subsequently, many monastic orders of the Middle Ages were built on the basis of the Benedictine Rule. The internal hierarchy was also preserved. The head was an abbot, chosen from among the monks and confirmed by the bishop. He became the representative of the monastery in the world for life, leading the brothers with the assistance of several assistants. The Benedictines were to submit completely and humbly to the abbot.
The inhabitants of the monastery were divided into groups of ten people, headed by deans. The abbot with the prior (assistant) monitored the observance of the charter, but important decisions were made after a meeting of all the brothers together.
Education
The Benedictines became not only an assistant to the Church in the conversion of new peoples to Christianity. In fact, it is thanks to them that today we know about the content of many ancient manuscripts and manuscripts. The monks were engaged in rewriting books, preserving monuments of philosophical thought of the past.
Education was compulsory from the age of seven. The subjects included music, astronomy, arithmetic, rhetoric and grammar. The Benedictines saved Europe from the pernicious influence of barbarian culture. Huge libraries of monasteries, deep architectural traditions, knowledge in the field of agriculture helped to keep civilization at a decent level.
Decay and rebirth
During the reign of Charlemagne, there is a period when the monastic order of the Benedictines was going through hard times. The emperor introduced a tithe in favor of the Church, demanded that the monasteries provide a certain number of soldiers, gave vast territories with peasants to the power of the bishops. The monasteries began to get richer and become a tasty morsel for everyone who yearns to increase their own well-being.
Representatives of the secular authorities got the opportunity to found spiritual communities. The bishops broadcast the will of the emperor, more and more immersed in worldly affairs. The abbots of the new monasteries only formally de alt with spiritual matters, enjoying the fruits of donations and trade. The process of secularization brought to life a movement for the revival of spiritual values, resulting in the formation of new monastic orders. The monastery in Cluny became the center of association at the beginning of the 10th century.
Cluniacs and Cistercians
Abbé Bernon received an estate in Upper Burgundy as a gift from the Duke of Aquitaine. Here, in Cluny, a new monastery was founded, free from secular power and vassal relations. The monastic orders of the Middle Ages experienced a new upsurge. The Cluniacs prayed for all the laity, lived according to the charter, developed on the basis of the provisions of the Benedictines, but stricter in matters of behavior and daily routine.
In the 11th century, the monastic order of the Cistercians appeared, which made it a rule to follow the charter, which frightened away many followers with its rigidity. The number of monks has increased greatly due to the energy and charm of one of the leaders of the order, Bernard of Clairvaux.
Great crowd
In the XI-XIII centuries, newmonastic orders of the Catholic Church appeared in large numbers. Each of them has something to say in history. The Camaldules were famous for their strict rule: they did not wear shoes, welcomed self-flagellation, did not eat meat at all, even if they were sick. The Carthusians, who also held strict rules, were known as hospitable hosts who considered charity an essential part of their ministry. One of their main sources of income was the sale of Chartreuse liqueur, the recipe of which was developed by the Carthusians themselves.
Women also contributed to the monastic orders in the Middle Ages. At the head of the monasteries, including men's, the brotherhood of Fontevraud were abbesses. They were considered vicegerents of the Virgin Mary. One of the distinguishing points of their charter was a vow of silence. Begins - an order consisting only of women - on the contrary, did not have a charter. The abbess was chosen from among the followers, and all activities were directed to a charitable channel. Beginks could leave the order and marry.
Knightly-monastic orders
During the time of the Crusades, associations of a new kind began to appear. The conquest of Palestinian lands proceeded under the call of the Catholic Church to free Christian shrines from the hands of Muslims. A large number of pilgrims were sent to the eastern lands. They had to be guarded in enemy territory. This was the reason for the emergence of spiritual knightly orders.
Members of the new associations, on the one hand, took three vows of monastic life: poverty, obedience andabstinence. On the other hand, they wore armor, always had a sword with them, and, if necessary, took part in military campaigns.
The knightly monastic orders had a triple structure: it included chaplains (priests), brothers-warriors and brothers-servants. The head of the order - the grand master - was elected for life, his candidacy was approved by the Pope, who had supreme power over the association. The head, together with the priors, periodically collected a chapter (a general meeting where important decisions were made, the laws of the order were approved).
The spiritual and monastic associations included the Templars, the Ionites (Hospitallers), the Teutonic Order, the sword-bearers. All of them were participants in historical events, the importance of which can hardly be overestimated. The Crusades, with their assistance, significantly influenced the development of Europe, and indeed the whole world. The holy liberation missions got their name thanks to the crosses that were sewn on the robes of the knights. Each monastic order used its own color and shape to convey the symbol and thus outwardly differed from the others.
Falling authority
At the beginning of the 13th century, the Church was forced to deal with a huge number of heresies that had arisen. The clergy lost their former authority, propagandists spoke of the need to reform or even abolish the church system, as an unnecessary layer between man and God, condemned the huge we alth concentrated in the hands of ministers. In response, the Inquisition appeared, designed to restore the people's respect for the Church. However, a more beneficial role in thisactivity was played by the mendicant monastic orders, who made a complete renunciation of property as a prerequisite for service.
Francis of Assisi
In 1207, the Franciscan order began to form. Its head, Francis of Assisi, saw the essence of his activity in sermons and renunciations. He was against the founding of churches and monasteries, he met with his followers once a year at a designated place. The rest of the time the monks preached to the people. However, in 1219, a Franciscan monastery was nevertheless erected at the insistence of the Pope.
Francis of Assisi was famous for his kindness, ability to serve easily and with full dedication. He was loved for his poetic talent. Canonized two years after his death, he gained a lot of followers and revived reverence for the Catholic Church. In different centuries, offshoots formed from the Franciscan order: the order of the Capuchins, Tercians, Minims, Observants.
Dominique de Guzman
The Church also relied on monastic associations in the fight against heresy. One of the foundations of the Inquisition was the Dominican Order, founded in 1205. Its founder was Dominique de Guzman, an implacable fighter against heretics, who honored asceticism and poverty.
The Dominican Order has chosen the training of high-level preachers as one of its main goals. In order to organize suitable conditions for learning, the initially strict rules that prescribed the brothers poverty and constant wandering around the cities were even relaxed. At the same time, the Dominicans were not obliged to work physically: all their time, therefore, they devoted to education and prayer.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the Church was again in crisis. The adherence of the clergy to luxury and vices undermined their authority. The successes of the Reformation forced the clergy to look for new ways to restore their former veneration. Thus the order of Theatines was formed, and then the Society of Jesus. Monastic associations sought to return to the ideals of medieval orders, but time took its toll. While many orders still exist today, little remains of their former glory.
