convent, monastery

A building nuns and monks (who took a triple oath) lived in certain numbers, in a closed community, retired from the world under the leadership of their superior. Their everyday life was defined by different regulations reflecting the philosophy of the monastic order. They were not allowed to go outside the walls of the monastery - except by permission (the begging orders were exempt from this rule - the Franciscans, the Dominicans - whose members lived among the people). Secular persons were not allowed to enter the monastery. The convents of monastic orders were called monasteries (Greek monasterion = place for solitary life) or cloisters (Latin clastrum = closed place). The convents of the Jesuit order were called colleges.

MA-TI