Middle Ages Monks and Nuns

By. Catie T and Victoria G core #3

Sources

Google.Wiki answersMiddle ages .comMonks and nuns .comYahoo answers

Nuns and Monks

Nuns and Monks were originated in Europe’s middle ages.

They practiced Monasticism which refers to the way of life in convents and monasteries

They decided to serve God through fasting, prayer, and self denial

Monks and Nuns believed that they had to withdraw from the world and temptation to live a Christian life.

Hildegard Of Bingen

A very important Nun in the Middle Ages was Hildegard Of Bingen who wrote Religious music and medical books. She was a abess at Rubertsburg where she founded the first convent. She also was a church practices. Then in later life she was granted the label as a saint

Saint Benedict

Saint Benedict was not always “Saint” once he was just Benedict. Around the time he was a young roman who became disgusted with worldly corruption that he witnessed. Later he left Rome to worship God as a hermit. He wrote rules for monks (a monastery) at Monte Cassino in the mountains of central Italy. Europe adopted his rules and later he was named Saint Benedict and he governed monks. Europe adopted the Benedictine rule (Benedict's rule)

The Lindisfarne Gospels

As part of their monastic duties, monks copied important books, including the awesome bible by hand (omg that would be hard). When they copied the bible they considered Gods sacred word and the monks sought to

create particularly beautiful manuscript. They illustrated or

illuminated the pages with gold leaf, colors, and detailed designs. The book was made in 698 (old book, it would be hard to read without it falling apart)

Monks

A monk is a man who is a member of a brotherhood. He devotes his life to a discipline designed by his master. Monks and nuns live in a monastery. A monastery is a kind of half church half hospital (I wonder why we don’t have those now). They take care of people there and they pray and meditate (like monks do now). It can also be like a school for kids. They would teach them how to read and write.

Monks and nuns spent most of their time praying,meditating, and doing tasks like preparing medicine, or sewing ,teaching, writing, and reading (to kids). Monks and nuns were very busy but also they are very organized.

The timetable was a certain order of monks prayers. The first one was the Opus Dei. This is Latin for work of God. The first prayer started very early in the morning and the last one started at midnight. Monks and nuns usually did not get a good night sleep The timetable was started by Saint Benedict in Italy. The timetable was soon used by monks all over Europe. They did

their work ,including the timetable, in the monastery.

Famous Churches

In medieval times the Church dominated everybody's life. All Medieval people would be they village peasants or towns people - believed that God, Heaven and Hell (bad word ) existed. From the very earliest of ages, the people were taught that the only way they could get to Heaven was if the Roman Catholic Church let them go to heaven. Everybody would have been terrified of Hell (bad word) and the people would have been told of the terrors (devil, eternal fire :o ) awaiting for them in Hell (bad word again!!!!!!!!!) in the weekly services they attended.

The Inquisition

The Inquisition was when the Dominicans went on hunts for heretics (people who don’t believe in the catholic church). The heretics caught had to perform penance (a Catholic ritual designed to bring forgiveness). If the Heretic declined they were given to the government for further punishment…(or execution ).Execution involved burning at stake ( again).

Life styles

Although monks and nuns lived away from village life, they did interact with other people. Monasteries and Convents served as hospitals for the sick, guesthouses for weary travelers, distribution centers for the needy, and storage facilities for food.

Daily life of a nun

The life of Medieval nuns was dedicated to worship, reading, and working in the convent or nunnery. In addition to their attending at church, the nuns spent several hours in prayer, and meditation.  Women were not usually well educated during the Middle Ages but some nuns were taught to read and write like the man were. The convents and nunneries provided the only source of education for nuns during the Middle Ages but nuns were provided with an education was carefully viewed by the Church hierarchy. The life of medieval nuns were filled with the following work:

Washing and cooking for the monastery Raising the food (vegetables and grain) Producing wine, beer and honey Providing medical care for the community (doctors) Providing education for novices Spinning, weaving and embroidery Illuminating manuscripts

Daily life of monks

The daily life of Medieval monks was dedicated to worship, reading, and manual labor. In addition to their attending at their church, the monks spent a lot of hours reading from the Bible, doing private prayer, and meditation. During the day the Medieval monks worked hard in the Monastery and on the lands. The life of medieval monks were filled with the following work (which were almost 100% like the nuns)

Washing and cooking for the monastery Raising the supplies of vegetables and grain Reaping, Sowing, Ploughing, Binding and Thatching,

Haymaking and Threshing Producing wine, beer, and honey Providing medical care for the community Providing education for boys and novices ( not girls >:/ ) Copying the manuscripts of classical authors Providing hospitality for pilgrims (people from a different place)

Monks Diet

The monks did not talk in the dining room. instead, they made signals to each other. They were allowed only one meal a day in the wintertime and two in the summertime. There were two separate dining rooms. the monks did not eat meat but they did if they were ill and it had to be on very important days

How to become a Monk

To become a monk you had to first become an oblate (unless you were old enough to become a novice). to become an oblate, you had to be given to the monastery by your father. Then, if you were old enough, you could take your first vows and become a novice. Then , after a whole lot of years, if the abbot (head of the monastety) agrees, you can take your final vows and become a monk. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

Illness

It seems that only one out of every ten adults lived to be as old as fifty. Many babies, children and teenagers died. Common diseases were dysentery, malaria, diphtheria, flu, typhoid, smallpox and leprosy. (ewwwwwww germs!!!!!!!!!) Most of these are now rare in Britain, but some diseases, like cancer and heart disease, are more common in modern times than they were in the Middle Ages many nuns took care of because that were ill.

Nuns and monks orders

Monks and nuns are following their orders, sewing or opening the door to travelers, the sick and poor. There are whispers of meditating and prayers. You can hear the shuffling of feet everywhere. This is the sound of a monastery in the Middle Ages.

The church

The church in the middle ages was where the monks and the nuns usually worked. people who wanted to devote their lives to God would become rather monks or nuns. They would leave their communities and go to a monastery or a nunneries. As a nun or monk they would not be aloud to be married. They would perform duties such as hand write The bible, take care of the poor and sick, and do other church related work. Most nuns were unmarried princesses who were sent by their parents to a nunnery. the monks on the other hand were men who chose to serve god and only god they were faithful to god.

The Carolingian Empire

The Carolingian Empire brought a period of economic anarchy - the economic system fell apart. People could barely survive. Monasteries were sacked and burned. Monks became fugitives - escapees - and some were only concerned to save their lives, their few possessions, and their sacred relics.

The monasteries did not become extinct, for a few men warned other monasteries of what was to come. Afterwards, there was a lot of work to be done rebuilding the monasteries. Some of their work put themselves in personal danger.

For example, Raffredus, the Abbot of Farfa, in Lazio, was poisoned by two monks. They killed him because he threatened to enforce the Benedictine law.

Some parents promised their children to monasteries. They did because they knew that their children would never be homeless, or without food. Also, if they were talented, this was a way for them to become rich or successful (MONEY!!!!!!!).

All through Europe, in villages, towns, and busy cities, were built cathedrals. Cathedrals were fancy churches. In the small towns, the cathedral was the largest building. The cathedral was very tall. The cathedral, like the monastery, was built in the shape of a cross to remind them of Christ's death. Statues framed the cathedrals. The ceilings were formed by arches. In Paris cathedral, the arches reached 93 feet. Usually in front of a cathedral is a big stained glass window. This is of no particular pattern. Inside it is dark, except for some glowing candles, and the light shining through the stained glass windows. The floor of a cathedral was usually built of flagstones. Many arches hold the ceiling. In some European countries, the arches can reach as high as 121 feet. The word cathedral comes from the word Cathedra, a Latin word for the throne that a bishop sat on at his church

QUESTIONS!!!!!!!

Who is Hildegard Of Bingen?How do you become a monk?What are many illnesses of the middle

ages?What are some orders of monks and

nuns?What is the name of a famous church?

sourses

Wiki answers. comMonks and Nuns. comMiddle ages. com