A monastery is the habitation of monks, derived from the Greek word for a hermit's cell. Western Christian monasteries are also called abbey, priory, charterhouse, friary, and preceptory, while the habitation of nuns can also be called a convent. The communal life of a monastery is called cenobitic, as opposed to the anchoretic (or anchoritic) life of a hermit.

Etymology

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The word monastery comes from the Greek "monasterion", from the root "monos" = one, or alone (originally all Christian monks were hermits) and the suffix "-terion" = place for doing something.

In England the word monasterium was also applied to the habitation of a bishop and the cathedral clergy who lived apart from the lay community. Most cathedrals were not monasteries, and were served by canons secular, who were communal but not monastic. However some were run by monastic orders, such as York Minster. Westminster Abbey was for a short time a cathedral, and was a Benedictine monastery until the Reformation, and its Chapter preserves elements of the Benedictine tradition. See the entry cathedral. They are also to be distinguished from collegiate churches, such as St George's Chapel, Windsor.

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Finally bought the Anthro mugs that look like the exact view from the converted monastery I stayed at in Provence! http://twitpic.com/wocko
apinkfeather (Sarah Houston) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:36:42 -0000
Finally bought the Anthro mugs that look like the exact view from the converted monastery I stayed at in Provence! http://twitpic.com/wocko
http://twitpic.com/woc75 - The Bethlehem Monastery of Poor Clares Timber Framing. Beautiful Project.
VTWorks (Vermont Timber Works) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:32:25 -0000
http://twitpic.com/woc75 - The Bethlehem Monastery of Poor Clares Timber Framing. Beautiful Project.
Healing the Earth: A Sacred Art by the TibetanLamas of Drepung Loseling Monasteryhttp://bit.ly/1NgXgO, #art, #Buddhism, #stacy alexander
ARTISTstacy (Stacy Alexander) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:53:50 -0000
Healing the Earth: A Sacred Art by the TibetanLamas of Drepung Loseling Monasteryhttp://bit.ly/1NgXgO, #art, #Buddhism, #stacy alexander
Fact #109: Currently 65 of our sisters minister outside the monastery in full-time positions and eight in part-time positions.
FerdinandOSB (Benedictine Sisters) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:53:25 -0000
Fact #109: Currently 65 of our sisters minister outside the monastery in full-time positions and eight in part-time positions.
@SeeLineWoman to what are you referring? An article? Are my hopes crashing N2 the rocks before the shore? Do u suggest a monastery 4 me?
ascendant_ (ASCENDANT) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:42:06 -0000
@SeeLineWoman to what are you referring? An article? Are my hopes crashing N2 the rocks before the shore? Do u suggest a monastery 4 me?
Actually Jay Z, I also have 99 problems, but bitches are, like, 73 of them. Where are you anyway? In a monastery?
behindyourback (passive aggressive) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:07:41 -0000
Actually Jay Z, I also have 99 problems, but bitches are, like, 73 of them. Where are you anyway? In a monastery?

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