eastXwest Monastic

The Vatican II decree ‘Ecclesiae Sanctae’ directed religious to seek an understanding of their original charism. By going back to the roots of monastic life we discover the common forms of monastic life in the undivided church.

The Desert of the Holy Land

Mar Saba is the oldest inhabited monastery in the holy land, founded in 439CE. St. Saba defined the structure of the '3-fold life' in monastic tradition. The coenobium (community) is right for the beginner.

If you want more solitude for longer prayer you should move to the semi - solitary life of the skete or lavra, and then to it's outlying hermit cells. The monastery has 110 cells and had 4,000 monks at it’s high point in the 7th century.

Father of Monks - Basil of Caesarea

Basil of Caesarea (b. circa 330CE) started a monastery on the family estate with his brother, where he wrote the longer and shorter rules of St. Basil - basically a commentary on Scripture applied to monastic life.

His approach is fundamental to the monastic life of the east. He was ordained bishop of Caesarea - the see of Jerusalem in exile. He wrote the liturgy of St. Basil - which is still used regularly in the eastern Church today

The Desert of Egypt

The monastic life of Egypt was inspired by the Jewish therapeutae of Alexandria and the Christian ascetics who lived a life of solitary prayer. When the Roman Empire became - at least nominally - Christian many of the more fervent Christians sought deeper commitment, in hermitages and communities in the desert.

Sketis was 100km south of Alexandria, and was a large monastic village. Nearby was Kellia, the hermitage site for the Sketis monks.

Monks go East

An area which has kept some of the ascetic entrepreneurial quality of early monasticism, and combined it with the rich liturgy of the coenobium (community) is Athos, the Holy mountain in Macedonia, jutting out into the Aegean sea.

Here monks can live the life of the deep desert in a hut, study in a vast library, or interface with the many pilgrims. Further North, the tradition flowered in the startzi - charismatic spiritual directors - from sketes like Optina.

Monks go West

Martin of Tours was a 4c. soldier who left the army for the life of a hermit at Liguge, France. After being ordained Bishop, he started a monastic retreat near Tours, which became very popular. Eighty monks lived a skete type life in wooden cells and in rock caves.

He set up a number of these sketes throughout France during his time as Bishop. Their life style was somewhat similar to the Carthusians today, except that they had their daymeal together in the evening.

Fines Terrae - the Monks of Scotland

Scotland has a rich inheritance of trading links by both land and sea. Ninian carried the traditions of Martin of Tours to Candida Casa at Whithorn.

Celtic monasteries followed the plan of the Egyptian coenobia - villages of modest huts gathered together around a central parish church. They were usually made of wood because we are 'pilgrims on earth.' The monks combined deep prayer and eremitical retreat with local mission.

Father of Monks - Benedict of Nursia

Benedict himself went through all three forms of monastic life - but in reverse order! He started out as a hermit, developed a large skete - twelve houses of twelve monks, and ended up founding a large cenobitic monastery which became a powerhouse of learning for Europe.

His Rule brings sanity to the extremism of much early practise, and 'Benedictine balance' remains an important touchstone for the western monk.