Orders of Medieval Monks in the Middle Ages
The first Medieval monks adhered to the Benedictine Rule which was established by St. Benedict in 529AD. Different orders of Medieval monks were also established during the Middle Ages. The major orders of Medieval monks were:
All Medieval monks were clean shaven. They were distinguished by their partly shaven hair called tonsures. Their hair was shaved except for a narrow strip round the head. Tonsures were a symbol of their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem. A tonsure might also indicate that a monk had received clerical status.
Becoming Medieval Monks
Any man, rich or poor, noble or peasant could become a Medieval monk. Every candidate for admission to the order of the Benedictine monks took the vow of obedience. The postulancy usually lasted one month, the novitiate one year, at the end which simple vows were taken. The solemn vows of the Medieval monks were taken four years later. Having once joined he remained a monk for the rest of his life. The Medieval monks lived under strict discipline. They could not own any property; they could not go beyond the monastery walls without the abbot's consent; they could not even receive letters from home; and they were sent to bed early. A violation of the regulations by a Medieval monks brought punishment in the shape of private admonitions, exclusion from common prayer, and, in extreme cases, expulsion. Medieval ecclesiastic terms which related to becoming a monk:
The life of a monk was hard so why did people choose to become Medieval monks? It was a commitment for life. The life of a Medieval monk appealed to many different kinds of people in the Middle Ages. The reasons for becoming a Medieval monk were as follows:
Different orders had different vows. The three vows of the Benedictine monks were:
Medieval Monks and the Monastery
Medieval Monks lived in a monastery. Each monastery formed an independent, self-supporting community which meant that the Medieval monks had no need of going beyond the limits of the monastery for anything. Monasteries gradually increased in wealth and numbers and some came to form enormous establishments, covering many acres and, within its massive walls, had the appearance of a fortified town. In the twelfth century four hundred and eighteen monasteries were founded in England; in the next century, only about a third as many. In the fourteenth, only twenty-three monasteries were founded in England.
Medieval Monastery
Love Practises of Medieval Monks - Breaking the Vows
The vow of chastity led to problems with the Medieval Monks of the Middle Ages. The strict rules applying to complete sexual abstinence led to some degenerate behaviour. Medieval monks were known to flout the rules of chastity and practise sexual perversions including sadism and masochism. There were cases where Medieval monks withheld absolution for sins as a weapon to force a woman to agree to his sexual requirements - such practises led to the emergence of the confessional. The practise of inflicting self-torture was widespread starting with simple self tortures such as wearing hair shirts, failing to wash and then harsher tortures involving self-flagellation. The vow of poverty was also disregarded by abbots of rich monasteries.
Medieval Monks
Each section of this Middle Ages website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about these great people and events in bygone Medieval times including Medieval Monks. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Middle Ages!
Medieval Monks
The first Medieval monks adhered to the Benedictine Rule which was established by St. Benedict in 529AD. Different orders of Medieval monks were also established during the Middle Ages. The major orders of Medieval monks were:
- The Benedictine Monks - the Black Monk
- The Cistercian Monks - the White monk
- The Carthusian Monks - the silent monks
- The Dominican Monks
- The Franciscan Monks
- Augustine Monks, including the Gilbertines
All Medieval monks were clean shaven. They were distinguished by their partly shaven hair called tonsures. Their hair was shaved except for a narrow strip round the head. Tonsures were a symbol of their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem. A tonsure might also indicate that a monk had received clerical status.
Becoming Medieval Monks
Any man, rich or poor, noble or peasant could become a Medieval monk. Every candidate for admission to the order of the Benedictine monks took the vow of obedience. The postulancy usually lasted one month, the novitiate one year, at the end which simple vows were taken. The solemn vows of the Medieval monks were taken four years later. Having once joined he remained a monk for the rest of his life. The Medieval monks lived under strict discipline. They could not own any property; they could not go beyond the monastery walls without the abbot's consent; they could not even receive letters from home; and they were sent to bed early. A violation of the regulations by a Medieval monks brought punishment in the shape of private admonitions, exclusion from common prayer, and, in extreme cases, expulsion. Medieval ecclesiastic terms which related to becoming a monk:
- Oblate - an oblate was a person given in childhood to a monastic community by his parents, to be brought up as a monk
- Postulant - a postulant was a person seeking admission to a religious order
- Novice - a novice was a member of a monastic community under training, who has not yet taken final vows
The life of a monk was hard so why did people choose to become Medieval monks? It was a commitment for life. The life of a Medieval monk appealed to many different kinds of people in the Middle Ages. The reasons for becoming a Medieval monk were as follows:
- To devote their lives to serving God
- To live a life in a secure retreat
- To escape from a violent world
- The lead a quiet and peaceful life
Different orders had different vows. The three vows of the Benedictine monks were:
- The Vow of Poverty
- The Vow of Chastity
- The Vow of Obedience
Medieval Monks and the Monastery
Medieval Monks lived in a monastery. Each monastery formed an independent, self-supporting community which meant that the Medieval monks had no need of going beyond the limits of the monastery for anything. Monasteries gradually increased in wealth and numbers and some came to form enormous establishments, covering many acres and, within its massive walls, had the appearance of a fortified town. In the twelfth century four hundred and eighteen monasteries were founded in England; in the next century, only about a third as many. In the fourteenth, only twenty-three monasteries were founded in England.
Medieval Monastery
Love Practises of Medieval Monks - Breaking the Vows
The vow of chastity led to problems with the Medieval Monks of the Middle Ages. The strict rules applying to complete sexual abstinence led to some degenerate behaviour. Medieval monks were known to flout the rules of chastity and practise sexual perversions including sadism and masochism. There were cases where Medieval monks withheld absolution for sins as a weapon to force a woman to agree to his sexual requirements - such practises led to the emergence of the confessional. The practise of inflicting self-torture was widespread starting with simple self tortures such as wearing hair shirts, failing to wash and then harsher tortures involving self-flagellation. The vow of poverty was also disregarded by abbots of rich monasteries.
Medieval Monks
Each section of this Middle Ages website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about these great people and events in bygone Medieval times including Medieval Monks. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Middle Ages!
Medieval Monks
- Middle Ages era, period, life, age and times
- Medieval Monks Clothing - Description of the Monks clothes
- Becoming Medieval Monks
- The Vows of the Medieval Monks
- Medieval Monks and the Monastery
- The Life of Medieval Monks
- Sexual Practises of Medieval Monks
- Breaking the Vows
Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages - Colors of the Medieval Monks clothes
What did medieval monks wear? What was the significance of the colors of their clothes?
The color of the habits, the name for the clothes of the Medieval monks, varied according to their order. The earliest Benedictine monks wore wore clothing consisting of white or grey habits which were the colors of un-dyed wool. However as time went by black became the the prevailing color of their clothes hence the term "Black Monks" has come to signify a Benedictine Monk. The Cistercian and Carthusian orders of Medieval monks adhered to even stricter rules than the Benedictines and wore undyed wool for their monks clothes to proclaim their poverty. Their habits, or monks clothes, were generally a greyish-white, and sometimes brown. The Cistercian monks were referred to as the "White Monks".
Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages - Description of the Monks clothes
What did medieval monks wear? What type of Monks Clothes were worn during the Middle Ages. Each Medieval monk had two tunics and two cowls, a scapular for work, shoes and stockings. The extra tunic allowed for washing and night-time wear, as the Cistercian monk slept in his habit. The traditional habit, or clothes, of the Benedictine monks consisted of the following garments:
Each section of this Middle Ages website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about the clothes and fashion in bygone Medieval times including Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Middle Ages!
Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages
The Daily Life of Medieval Monks
The daily life of Medieval monks in the Middle Ages were based on the three main vows:
The Daily Life of Medieval Monks
The daily life of Medieval monks was dedicated to worship, reading, and manual labor. In addition to their attendance at church, the monks spent several hours in reading from the Bible, private prayer, and meditation. During the day the Medieval monks worked hard in the Monastery and on its lands. The life of medieval monks were filled with the following work and chores:
The daily life of Medieval monks included many different jobs and occupations. The names and descriptions of many of these positions are detailed below:
The daily life of a Medieval monk during the Middle Ages centred around the hours. The Book of Hours was the main prayer book and was divided into eight sections, or hours, that were meant to be read at specific times of the day. Each section contained prayers, psalms, hymns, and other readings intended to help the monks secure salvation for himself. Each day was divided into these eight sacred offices, beginning and ending with prayer services in the monastery church. These were the times specified for the recitation of divine office which was the term used to describe the cycle of daily devotions. The times of these prayers were called by the following names - Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Vespers and Compline:
What did medieval monks wear? What was the significance of the colors of their clothes?
The color of the habits, the name for the clothes of the Medieval monks, varied according to their order. The earliest Benedictine monks wore wore clothing consisting of white or grey habits which were the colors of un-dyed wool. However as time went by black became the the prevailing color of their clothes hence the term "Black Monks" has come to signify a Benedictine Monk. The Cistercian and Carthusian orders of Medieval monks adhered to even stricter rules than the Benedictines and wore undyed wool for their monks clothes to proclaim their poverty. Their habits, or monks clothes, were generally a greyish-white, and sometimes brown. The Cistercian monks were referred to as the "White Monks".
Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages - Description of the Monks clothes
What did medieval monks wear? What type of Monks Clothes were worn during the Middle Ages. Each Medieval monk had two tunics and two cowls, a scapular for work, shoes and stockings. The extra tunic allowed for washing and night-time wear, as the Cistercian monk slept in his habit. The traditional habit, or clothes, of the Benedictine monks consisted of the following garments:
- A tunic, tied around the waist with a cloth or leather belt
- Over the tunic was a scapula. A scapula was a garment consisting of a long wide piece of woollen cloth worn over the shoulders with an opening for the head;
- A cowl was attached to the scapula ( the cowl is the hood worn especially by a monk )
- The front of the scapula was secured with a small piece of rectangular cloth that snapped the sides together
- Hair shirts - some monks imposed suffering on themselves by wearing hair shirts under their habits
- Some monks would also wear a cross upon a chain around their necks
Each section of this Middle Ages website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about the clothes and fashion in bygone Medieval times including Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Middle Ages!
Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages
- Interesting Facts and information about Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages in the Middle Ages
- Dress, clothes and fashion in the Middle Ages
- Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages
- Interesting facts and information about Monks Clothes in the Middle Ages and Middle Ages Clothing
The Daily Life of Medieval Monks
The daily life of Medieval monks in the Middle Ages were based on the three main vows:
- The Vow of Poverty
- The Vow of Chastity
- The Vow of Obedience
The Daily Life of Medieval Monks
The daily life of Medieval monks was dedicated to worship, reading, and manual labor. In addition to their attendance at church, the monks spent several hours in reading from the Bible, private prayer, and meditation. During the day the Medieval monks worked hard in the Monastery and on its lands. The life of medieval monks were filled with the following work and chores:
- Washing and cooking for the monastery
- Raising the necessary supplies of vegetables and grain
- Reaping, Sowing, Ploughing, Binding and Thatching, Haymaking and Threshing
- Producing wine, ale and honey
- Providing medical care for the community
- Providing education for boys and novices
- Copying the manuscripts of classical authors
- Providing hospitality for pilgrims
The daily life of Medieval monks included many different jobs and occupations. The names and descriptions of many of these positions are detailed below:
- Abbot - the head of an abbey
- Almoner - an almoner was an officer of a monastery who dispensed alms to the poor and sick
- Barber Surgeon - the monk who shaved the faces and tonsures of the monks and performed light surgery
- Cantor - the cantor was the monk whose liturgical function is to lead the choir
- Cellarer - the cellarer was the monk who supervised the general provisioning of the monastery
- Infirmarian - the monk in charge of the infirmary
- Lector - a lector was a monk entrusted with reading the lessons in church or in the refectory.
- Sacrist - the sacrist was the monk responsible for the safekeeping of books, vestments and vessels, and for the maintenance of the monastery's buildings
- Prior - in an abbey the deputy of the abbot or the superior of a monastery that did not have the status of an abbey
The daily life of a Medieval monk during the Middle Ages centred around the hours. The Book of Hours was the main prayer book and was divided into eight sections, or hours, that were meant to be read at specific times of the day. Each section contained prayers, psalms, hymns, and other readings intended to help the monks secure salvation for himself. Each day was divided into these eight sacred offices, beginning and ending with prayer services in the monastery church. These were the times specified for the recitation of divine office which was the term used to describe the cycle of daily devotions. The times of these prayers were called by the following names - Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Vespers and Compline:
- Lauds : the early morning service of divine office approx 5am
- Matins : the night office; the service recited at 2 am in the divine office
- Prime : The 6am service
- Sext : the third of the Little Hours of divine office, recited at the sixth hour (noon)
- Nones : the fourth of the Little Hours of the divine office, recited at the ninth hour (3 pm)
- Terce : the second of the Little Hours of divine office, recited at the third hour (9 am)
- Vespers : the evening service of divine office, recited before dark (4 - 5pm)
- Compline : the last of the day services of divine office, recited before retiring (6pm)