Medieval Monasteries

1
Medieval Monasteries

• 10D Religious Education

2
Where did they come from?

• St Benedict was the first to start a monastery as
  we know it
• They grew in popularity through out the middle
  ages
• At the start of the 2nd Millennium St Dominic and
  St Francis also started their own monasteries
• St Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican Monk

3
Life in a Monastery

• The most important thing in the life of a Monk or
  Nun in a monastery is praying
• They prayed a special prayer called the Liturgy
  of the Hours or Divine Office these services
  occur at the following times
• Matins 2am
• Lauds Around Dawn
• Prime 6am
• Terce 9am
• Sext Before Noon
• None 3pm
• Vespers 6pm
• Compline Before Bed

4
What else?

• They didnt only pray since they were self
  supporting there were lots of jobs to do e.g.
• Washing, Sewing, Gardening, Farming,
• Cleaning, Building etc.
• Sometimes they made money by making and selling
  things like Wine, Altar Breads or Church Linins

5
Plus Education

• Depending on the Monastery they would often have
  an emphasis on learning
• This meant they often had exhaustive libraries
  and spent much time reading and writing
• This was how St Thomas Aquinas spent much of his
  time in the Monastery

6
New Zealand Monasteries

• Carmalite Nuns Auckland and Christchurch
• Tyburn Nuns Auckland
• Beatitude Nuns and Monks Christchurch
• Cistercian Monks Takapau, Hawkes Bay