Monastic World

Monastic World is a history of medieval monasticism that follows monastic life from its beginnings in the fourth century to the sixteenth. From the late Roman Empire onward, monasteries and convents were a familiar presence across Europe. Andrew Jotischky asks who these houses were for, who founded and sustained them, and how monasticism changed over roughly a thousand years.

He shows that religious houses did far more than house the devout. They sheltered the poor and elderly, cared for the sick, and educated the young. They were centres of intellectual life, owned property, and wielded power, while also producing new developments in theology, music, and art.

The book brings together the Orthodox and western stories, along with the experiences of women, to give a complete picture of medieval monasticism. It is written as a wide-ranging account for both scholars and general readers interested in life in holy orders.