Christian monasticism
Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the men-
dicant Order of Friars Minor, as painted by
El Greco.
Monasticism began to develop early in the
history of the Church, modeled upon scriptur-
al examples and ideals, including those in the
Old Testament, but not mandated as an insti-
tution in the scriptures. It has come to be
regulated by religious rules (e.g. the Rule of
St Basil, the Rule of St Benedict) and, in mod-
ern times, the Church law of the respective
Christian denominations that have forms of
monastic living. Those living the monastic life
are known by the generic terms monks (men)
and nuns (women). In modern English, they
are also known by the gender-neutral term
"monastics." Monastics generally dwell in a
monastery (monks) or a convent (nuns),
whether they live there in a community
(cenobites), or alone (hermits).
Monastic orders
Monastic communities, broadly speaking, are
organized into orders and congregations
guided by a particular religious rule, such as
the Rule of St Benedict or the Rule of St
Augustine, and also serve the purpose of
their own founder.
Monastic Life
Currently the monastic life – also known as
Consecrated life and "religious life" – is regu-
lated by the respective Church law of those
Christian denominations that recognize it
(e.g. the Roman Catholic Church, the Ortho-
dox Church, the Anglican Church, or the
Lutheran Church). Once a Christian feels
called to seek God in the monastic life, it
needs to be established whether the vocation
is as a member of a religious community or
as a consecrated virgin, hermit or widow.
While many people think of the Christian
monastic life (especially that of Catholic
monks or nuns) as having "something to do
with living in a religious community," its pur-
pose is not always communal living with like-
minded Christians. Rather, the purpose is
many times perpetual training that is meant
to help those Christians who feel called to
dedicate their life to God. This is in accord-
ance with the perfect example given by Jesus
and foll