What was a typical medieval monastery like? Famous Orthodox churches

Medieval monasteries in Europe are among the most visited places by tourists. Previously, they were real centers of public life, because they combined culture, religion, administration, education and even the judicial sphere. The desperate and homeless could find shelter here, and for many children from poor families, education and life in the monastery meant an increase in social status.

Despite the fact that in the modern world most of the original functions of these spiritual places have been lost, they do not cease to arouse keen interest.

Firstly, they represent progressive architectural examples of the Middle Ages, and secondly, they are examples of closed complexes that served themselves due to the work performed by the monks, the animals kept and the crops grown. In essence, these were examples of “states within a state” with a special life and history. Often the monasteries of Europe became pulsars of historical actions, where tragic or great events took place. Many of them are shrouded in mysterious and even mystical stories that still excite and capture the imagination of people.

In the very heart of Europe is located not only one of the oldest, but also one of the most historically valuable monasteries of St. Gall. It is located in the eastern part of Switzerland in the small administrative center of St. Gallen. The town is one of the most mountainous in Switzerland, but it is not this that makes it popular and famous, but the fact that it was here that the center of European education, St. Gallen Abbey, was built in the Middle Ages.

The oldest monastery was founded back in 613 by a lonely hermit monk named Gallus. The first who decided to pay great attention to cultural development within these walls was Abbot Otmar, who invited masters from different parts of Europe to organize a local art school. The mixture of different movements and genres made it possible to create unique paintings and icons, which are pearls of medieval artistic culture.

The continuator of this tradition was Abbot Waldo, who in the 8th century collected one of the richest libraries in Europe within the walls of the abbey. In addition, there was a strong singing school here, within the walls of which songs in the Gregorian style were masterfully performed. In the 10th century, famous poets and musicians of our time worked here, and a little later, the forefather and founder of German literary literature, Notker Gubasty, worked here.

Until the 18th century, St. Gallen was as influential a monastery in Europe as Notre Dame Cathedral in the Middle Ages, but later the monastery's importance weakened. In the second half of the 18th century, the oldest buildings were demolished, and new churches were erected in their place, embodying the Baroque architectural style, which is still capable of surprising tourists and pilgrims from all over the world.

In 1983, UNESCO added the monastery of St. Gall to the World Heritage List. Within the walls of the city’s main attraction is the oldest library, numbering 160 thousand ancient books, 50 thousand of which are available to everyone.

Anyone who was lucky enough to visit the Austrian city of Admont, located on the Enns River, will never be able to forget the beautiful picture: the oldest monastery buildings from the Middle Ages, reflected in the water surface of the river.

The picturesque Admont owes its appearance to the Archbishop of Salzburg, who initiated its construction in 1704. Active educational work was carried out here; the monks were especially progressive in the natural sciences and in the description of historical facts. A modern school for girls was built near the monastery grounds, where the best of the monks taught.

The peak of prosperity came in the Middle Ages, during the ministry of Abbot Engelbert. He was a scientist ahead of his time, from whose pen many significant scientific works came out. It was at this time that a library began to function in the monastery, which to this day is the largest monastic library not only in Europe, but throughout the world. The collection of books is so magnificent that queues of visitors line up here every day. More than 70 thousand people visit the library every year. Here you can see 70 thousand handwritten texts and engravings, and among the 200 thousand books there are a huge number of the oldest copies created before the 13th century.

The hall where the library is located is a huge, bright room in which elements of neo-Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque styles are intricately mixed. In addition, there are museums of natural history and art history on site, and the exhibition hall often hosts music festivals. A special department exhibits paintings for the blind. One can only imagine how unique the exhibitions would have been if the monastery buildings had not been damaged by fire in 1865.

Some treasures of the oldest collection were sold during the crisis years of the 20th century, which became very difficult for the monks. There were years when the activities of the monastery were stopped by the National Socialist government, but from 1946 spiritual activities resumed and have not been suspended since then.

Montecassino

The monastery, created by Benedict of Nursia on the site of the former Temple of Apollo, is considered a landmark place not only for Italy, but also for the history of all medieval Europe. Its fate is full of bitter pages, as it was repeatedly destroyed. For this reason, only a small part of the oldest grandeur and beauty observed by the monks and pilgrims of the Middle Ages has been preserved here. Nevertheless, the flow of guests to this monastery, located 120 km from Rome, does not stop in any season.

After the construction of Montecassino in 529, the Benedictine Order arose on its territory. But after 33 years the buildings were destroyed by the Longobards. It took a century and a half to restore, but after another 170 years it was ravaged by the Saracens. Montecassino was rebuilt by Pope Agapit II, who understood its importance in the life of all of Italy. Military attacks also occurred during Napoleon's offensive in 1799.

The next and greatest destruction occurred during the Second World War in February 1944. Then a suspicion arose that there were high-ranking fascist military leaders on the territory of the monastery, so the territory was bombed. Only a few elements of the buildings were able to survive, but the main valuables of the collections, fortunately, managed to be evacuated before the bombing began, so they remained unharmed. During air attacks within the walls of Montecassino, hundreds of civilians who took refuge within these walls during wartime were killed.

On the personal instructions of the Pope, the Benedictine patrimony was restored in the seventies, after which thousands of pilgrims flocked here wanting to see the castle of the Middle Ages. Guests can admire the courtyard, temples, vineyards and listen to stories from medieval life.

In Catholic culture, Saint Maurice is often referred to as the place where heaven is revealed to people. This is the oldest abbey in Western Europe, located in Italy, which survived the Middle Ages and has survived to this day. Over the past 15 centuries, spiritual life has not stopped here for a single day, and Divine services were held at regular intervals.

Saint-Maurice was founded in 515 on the site of the grave of St. Maurice, in whose honor the abbey received its name. The protection of the chosen saint was so strong that monastic life did not stop for a minute, and no disbandment or significant destruction occurred here. From mouth to mouth, many generations of monks since the Middle Ages have passed on the legend that during the next Divine service within the walls of one of the temples, Saint Martin appeared to those praying here, who is also the patron of this place, like Mauritius.

A local feature was that the ministers of the monastery were always jokers and people of subtle irony. You can verify this now when you come to Saint-Maurice. In many ways, this is what contributed to the fact that the monastery survived for many centuries, without becoming a victim of wars, changes in political forces and other vicissitudes. The monks believe that the reason for this is the favorable location: Saint-Maurice “hugs” against the rock, like a child clinging to its mother. The greatest danger, however, during the entire existence of the oldest monastery in Western Europe came precisely from this rock, from which fragments broke off seven times, destroying the church located under it. The last time this happened was in the middle of the 20th century, when a huge stone fell on the bell tower, leaving only ruins.

Many times Saint-Maurice was robbed by forest robbers and devastated by devastating fires. It happened that the monastery was flooded by mountain streams, but the monks steadfastly accepted all the troubles, without stopping their service. In 2015, the Great 1500th anniversary was celebrated here, organized with the participation of UNESCO.

A real pearl of Christianity is located on an island off the coast of Normandy in northwestern France. The castle of amazing beauty with high towers rising into the sky and reflected in the sea water is an unforgettable picture that more than 4 million tourists from all over the world strive to see every year.

Mont Saint-Michel is translated from French as “Mountain of St. Michael the Archangel.” The unique location means that it can be reached by land only during periods of significant low tide, and the tides cut it off from the mainland, leaving a thin isthmus that not everyone dares to step on. This forces tourists to be extremely careful: Victor Hugo also wrote that the speed of the tide of water is equal to the speed of a galloping horse. For this reason, a huge number of tourists were unable to overcome this path, drowning in the bay.

The history of the origin of the oldest monastery is connected with a beautiful legend: in 708, Archangel Michael appeared to Bishop Saint Aubert of Avranches in a dream with a decree to begin the construction of a monastery on the island. When the bishop woke up, he thought that he might have misunderstood the vision. After the second similar dream, he continued to doubt, so the Archangel dreamed of Avransh for the third time, leaving a burn on his head. Immediately after this, the bishop decided to initiate construction.

In the 10th century, the number of pilgrims became so large that a small city was built for them at the foot of the monastery, and the abundance of donations made it possible to collect the necessary amount to erect a huge temple on the top of the mountain. By the beginning of the 13th century, several hundred regular monks lived on the territory of Mont Saint-Michel. But gradually the significance of the abbey weakened, and by 1791 monastic life here ended, giving way to a prison that existed until the end of the French Revolution. Since 1873, a large-scale reconstruction began, during which Mont Saint-Michel has a modern appearance. To many, it resembles the castle from the Disney movie screensaver, which for many years has embodied the beauty of medieval castles.

In France there is one of the most beautiful ancient monasteries - Lérins Abbey. It is located at a distance of three kilometers from Cannes, so most tourists visiting Cannes flock here to touch the history of the Middle Ages.

The Lérins Monastery was founded in 410, after a hermit monk settled here in search of solitude. The disciples did not want to leave their spiritual father, so they followed him and founded Lerins Abbey on a desert island. By the 8th century, this place had become the most influential region of France and Europe; it owned many properties, not excluding the village of Cannes.

Without decent protection, this place became tasty and easy prey for the Saracens, who plundered the treasury and killed all the monks. Only one of the former residents of the monastery survived - monk Elenter, who rebuilt a new temple on the ruins. After this, the buildings were repeatedly destroyed, but the tenacity of the monks overcame all the troubles. After the French Revolution, the island was sold to a famous actress, where the guest house was located for 20 years. Only in 1859 was Bishop Fréjus able to buy it out to revive the holy place.

Now 25 monks live on the territory of the monastery, who, in addition to spiritual services, are engaged in growing grapes and the hotel business.

The oldest medieval monasteries in Europe

Nowadays, looking at the monastery building with its attractiveness and enormity, you cannot believe that there was once an empty space on the site of the monastery. Medieval monasteries in Europe were built to last for centuries and even millennia. If we talk about the purpose of monasteries, they were centers for the development of philosophical thought, enlightenment and, consequently, the formation of a pan-European Christian culture.

History of the development of monasteries.

The appearance of monasteries in Europe is associated with the spread of the Christian faith in all European countries and principalities. Today it is known that the monastery was the center of the economic and cultural life of Europe. The monasteries were full of life in the truest sense of the word. Many people mistakenly believe that a monastery is simply a Christian temple for worship, inhabited by several monks or nuns. In fact, the monastery is a small town in which the necessary types of farming have been developed, such as agriculture, gardening, cattle breeding, which mainly provide food, as well as material for making clothes. The clothes, by the way, were made here - on the spot. In other words, the monastery was also a center for the development of craft activities, providing the population with clothing, dishes, weapons and tools.
To understand the place of monasteries in the medieval life of Europe, it should be said that the population then lived according to the Law of God. Moreover, it does not matter whether the person was actually a believer or not. Everyone believed without exception; those who did not believe and openly declared it were accused of heretical prejudices, persecuted by the church and could be executed. This moment occurred quite often in medieval Europe. The Catholic Church had unlimited control over all territory inhabited by Christians. Even European monarchs did not dare to dare against the church, because this could be followed by excommunication with all the ensuing consequences. The monasteries represented a dense network of Catholic “supervision” over everything that happened.
The monastery was an impregnable fortress, which, in the event of an attack, could defend its borders for quite a long time, until the main forces arrived, which did not have to wait long. The monasteries were surrounded by thick walls precisely for this purpose.
All medieval monasteries in Europe were the richest buildings. It was said above that the entire population was a believer, and, therefore, had to pay a tax - a tithe of the harvest. This led to the exorbitant enrichment of monasteries, as well as the highest clergy - abbots, bishops, archbishops. The monasteries were drowning in luxury. It was not without reason that literary works appeared at that time, discrediting the life and actions of the Pope and his entourage. Of course, this literature was banned, burned, and the authors were punished. But, nevertheless, some disguised artistic works managed to go into circulation and survive to this day. One of the most significant works of this kind is “Gargantua and Pantagruel”, written by Francois Rabelais.

Education and upbringing.

Monasteries were centers of education and training for the youth of medieval Europe. After the spread of Christianity throughout Europe, the number of secular schools was reduced, and subsequently they were banned altogether because their activities carried heretical judgments. From that moment on, monastery schools became the only place of education and upbringing. Education was carried out in the context of 4 disciplines: astronomy, arithmetic, grammar and dialectics. All training in these disciplines boiled down to opposition to heretical views. For example, learning arithmetic was not about teaching children basic operations with numbers, but about learning a religious interpretation of the number sequence. Calculating the dates of church holidays was done while studying astronomy. The teaching of grammar consisted of correct reading and semantic understanding of the Bible. Dialectics united all these “sciences” in order to teach students the correct way to conduct a conversation with heretics and the art of eloquent argument with them.
Everyone knows the fact that training was conducted in Latin. The difficulty was that this language was not used in daily communication, so it was poorly understood not only by the pupils, but also by some of the highest confessors.
Training was carried out all year round - there were no holidays at that time, but this does not mean that the children did not rest. In the Christian religion there are a huge number of holidays that were considered days off in medieval Europe. On such days, the monasteries held services, so the educational process stopped.
The discipline was strict. For every mistake, the students were punished, in most cases corporally. This process was recognized as useful, since it was believed that during corporal punishment the “Devil Essence” of the human body was expelled from the physical body. But there were still moments of fun when children were allowed to run around, play and have fun.

Thus, the monasteries of Europe were centers not only for the development of culture, but also for the worldview of the entire people inhabiting the European continent. The supremacy of the church in all matters was undeniable, and the conductors of the Pope’s ideas were monasteries scattered throughout the Christian world.

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Authors: Egorova Ksenia, Zgerya Inessa Supervisor: Zagrebina Svetlana Nikolaevna 2015 Municipal autonomous educational institution of the Balashikha urban district “Gymnasium No. 3” Design and research work on history Topic: Medieval monastery 

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Introduction Main part 1.1. The first monasteries in Europe 1.2. Monastery of St. Gallen 1.3. Work on the model of a medieval monastery Conclusion Contents 

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Project goal: To create a model of a medieval monastery. Project objectives: 1. Study the time of the appearance of the first monasteries in Europe 2. Consider the features of medieval monasteries 3. Make a model of the St. Gallen monastery Stages of work on the project: 1) Study of literature on the topic 2) Selection of illustrative material 3) Search for information about surviving medieval monasteries 4) Creating a layout plan for the monastery 5) Working on creating a layout 6) Working on creating a presentation 7) Preparing to defend the project Introduction

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Bethlehem is a holy city for Christians, the second most important after Jerusalem, because here, according to the Gospel (Luke 2:4−7, Matthew 2:1−11), Jesus Christ was born. From the first centuries of Christianity to the present day, millions of pilgrims have been heading to this holy land. At the end of the fourth century, a follower of Blessed Jerome of Stridon, the rich and noble Roman matron Paula, arrived here. Having gathered around her a fairly large female community, she opened the first nunnery in Bethlehem on this day in the year 395. Pavla became its abbess, and subsequently organized two more convents. Bethlehem (nunnery)

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Montecassino The Benedictine monastery of Montecassino rises on a high hill above the highway, 120 km from Rome. This is one of the oldest monasteries in Europe, but fate was unmerciful to it; what we see now dates back to the 20th century. You should not go here to feel the spirit of antiquity or the special atmosphere of old monasteries; this is not left in Montecassino, but from a historical point of view, the monastery is of interest. Montecassino was founded in 529 by Saint Benedict of Nursia, on the site of a pagan temple of Apollo. The abbey became the birthplace of the Benedictine Order.

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Lérins Abbey Lérins Abbey. The monastery, located on the islet of Saint-Honorat, off the coast of Cannes, is the most striking attraction of this city. It is believed to be one of the oldest Gallic buildings of its kind, having been founded around 410. Now the complex belongs to the Cistercians. The monastery has regular ferry connections to the coast of Cannes, so getting to it is easy: you just need to visit the old port. Saint Honorat, the founder of Lérins Abbey, wanted to build a temple that would become the residence of the brethren. By the 8th century, the complex already had enormous influence in Europe, and at that time more than 500 monks lived here, who were distinguished by asceticism. Many of them later became bishops or founded new monasteries. A fort was built next to the abbey in the 11th century, which housed a refectory, a chapel and a library. There are chapels around the monastery, six of which have survived to this day, and only ruins remain of one. The main building was erected more than 1000 years ago, but after the monastery was closed in the 18th century, it was destroyed and the relics of the founder were transferred to Grasse Cathedral. The monastic life was revived here only a century and a half ago, thanks to the efforts of the Cistercian order, which restored many buildings, although not in the original style, but in the Romanesque style, so the appearance of the monastery has changed completely.

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Monastery of St. Gall - a monastery located in the center of the city of St. Gallen, was once one of the largest Benedictine monasteries in Europe. The Monastery of Saint Gall was founded in 613 by the hermit monk Gallus. The monastery gradually developed into an early territorial principality. An important element of the territorial reorganization carried out by the monastery was the unification of rules. In 1468, all existing customs and practices were collected and recorded on paper. From now on, all loyal subjects of the land had to obey the established orders. Unlike other members of the Swiss Confederation, the monastery continued to be directly subordinate to the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. In 1525, the Reformation came to the monastery, and two years later the monastery of St. Gallen was dissolved, but by 1532 it was reopened. Thirty years later, all subjects of the monastery's lands converted back to the Catholic faith, and by the end of the 16th century the monastery had once again become a modern centralized territorial principality. St. Gallen (St. Gall)

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The monastery experienced its last heyday in the 18th century - this is primarily evidenced by extensive construction work in the period from 1755 to 1767. The monastery was rebuilt in the Baroque style under the direction of the architects Peter Thumb and Johann Beer. After the French Revolution of 1789, the assigned monastic lands demanded freedoms and rights, and with the annexation of Toggenburg, the political dominance of the monastery came to an end. In 1803 the new canton of St. Gallen was formed, and two years later the monastery was finally dissolved. The former monastery church of St. Gall is today the cathedral church of the Bishopric of Gaul. The church is included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list. The Baroque building was erected in the 18th century (1755) on the site of an older religious building from the 9th century. It is considered one of the last monumental religious buildings of the late Baroque era. The cathedral is divided by a rotunda into western (nave) and eastern (choir) parts.

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The church owes its artistic and sculptural decoration in the Rococo and Classicist styles to South German masters. The frescoes were executed by the brothers Johann and Matthias Gigl, the bas-reliefs by Christian Wenzinger, and the paintings by Joseph Wannenmacher. The two rows of wooden benches installed in the choir are decorated with carvings depicting scenes from the life of St. Benedict. The towers of the eastern facade are 68 meters high. The relief on the pediment depicts the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, beneath it are statues of Saints Desiderius and Mauritius.

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The monastery library is located in the western wing of the monastery. The library premises were created under the direction of the architect Peter Thumb in 1758 - 1767. Currently, the library has about 150,000 volumes, including about 2,000 manuscripts (four hundred of them are more than a thousand years old). For example, the library houses a Latin-German dictionary from 790, the oldest book in the German language. Also in the western wing there is a lapidarium, which displays fragments of the Carolingian cathedral of 830 - 837, found during archaeological excavations, as well as a collection of paintings on wooden panels. In the western part of the court wing today is the residence of the bishop.

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From a historical and cultural point of view, the greatest value here is the bishop’s personal chapel, the main hall, and the chapel of St. Gall. Today the cantonal court sits in the northern wing. The outbuilding was erected in the 19th century and was used for various purposes - from an arsenal to a fire station. In the eastern part of the former monastery there is the Karlstor gate, built in 1570. They are named after Archbishop Charles Borromeo and are the only external gate of the city that has survived to this day. The front building on the eastern side of the monastery square is called the New Palace (Neue Pfalz). After the dissolution of the monastery, this former residence of the abbot of the monastery became the seat of the Diet of the newly formed canton of St. Gallen.

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1 - main church; 2 - library and scriptorium; 3 - sacristy; 4 - towers; 5 - patio; b - chapter hall (meeting place for monks); 7 - common monks' bedroom and bath; 8 - refectory; 9 - kitchen; 10 - pantry with cellar; 11 - room for pilgrims; 12 - outbuildings; 13 - guest house; 14 - school; 15 - abbot's house; 16 - doctor's house; 17 - place for growing medicinal herbs; 18 - hospital and premises for novices with a separate church; 19 -garden with cemetery and vegetable garden; 20 - goose house and chicken coop; 21-barns; 22 - workshops; 23 - bakery and brewery; 24 - mill, threshing house, dryer; 25 - barns and stables; 26 - house for servants.

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The Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz is considered one of the largest active medieval monasteries in the world; it was created in 1133. The monastery is located 25 km from Vienna, on the edge of the Vienna Woods.

Theological Institute

The abbey has gone through different times. There were periods when the brethren were on the verge of poverty; The monastery was repeatedly threatened with closure. However, dissolution was avoided thanks to the opening of the Theological Institute. The monks always took care of remote diocesan parishes and did charity work. The parish still provides psychological assistance to families, supports the elderly, and engages in premarital education for young people.

Heiligenkreuz Choir

The monks restored all the buildings, collected a huge library of 50 thousand volumes, and run their own household. The abbey is also famous for its traditions of Gregorian chant. The Heiligenkreuz Choir has recorded several albums, with a total circulation of more than 500,000 CDs. The discs were a great success.

Heiligenkreuz is a working monastery. The monastic brethren number 86 people. Tourists can visit the monastery only at designated times.

Heiligenkreuz Monastery (Stift Heiligenkreuz), photo by Patrick Costello

Monastery courtyard, photo by Anu Wintschalek

Magnificent paintings, frescoes, records of historical chronicles - all this is a medieval monastery. Those who want to touch the past and learn about the events of bygone days should begin their journey with study, since they remember much more than the pages of chronicles.

Cultural and economic centers of the Middle Ages

During the Dark Times, monastic communes begin to gain strength. For the first time they appear on the territory. The progenitor of this movement can be considered Benedict of Nursia. The largest medieval period is the monastery in Montecassino. This is a world with its own rules, in which each member of the commune had to contribute to the development of the common cause.

At this time, the medieval monastery was a huge complex of buildings. It included cells, libraries, refectories, cathedrals and utility buildings. The latter included barns, warehouses, and animal pens.

Over time, monasteries turned into the main centers of concentration of culture and economy of the Middle Ages. Here they kept a chronology of events, held debates, and assessed the achievements of science. Such teachings as philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine developed and improved.

All physically difficult work was left to novices, peasants and ordinary monastic workers. Such settlements were of great importance in the field of storage and accumulation of information. Libraries were replenished with new books, and old publications were constantly rewritten. The monks also kept historical chronicles themselves.

History of Russian Orthodox monasteries

Russian medieval monasteries appeared much later than European ones. Initially, hermit monks lived separately in deserted places. But Christianity spread among the masses quite quickly, so stationary churches became necessary. Starting from the 15th century until the reign of Peter I, there was widespread construction of churches. They were in almost every village, and large monasteries were built near cities or in holy places.

Peter I carried out a number of church reforms, which were continued by his successors. The common people reacted negatively to the new fashion for Western tradition. Therefore, already under Catherine II, the construction of Orthodox monasteries was resumed.

Most of these places of worship have not become places of pilgrimage for believers, but some Orthodox churches are known throughout the world.

Miracles of Myrrh Streaming

The banks of the Velikaya River and the Mirozhka River flowing into it. It was here that the Pskov Spaso-Preobrazhensky Mirozhsky Monastery appeared many centuries ago.

The location of the church made it vulnerable to frequent raids. She took all the blows first and foremost. Constant robberies and fires haunted the monastery for many centuries. And despite all this, fortress walls were never built around it. What remains surprising is that, despite all the troubles, he preserved the frescoes, which still delight with their beauty.

For many centuries, the Mirozh Monastery kept the priceless miraculous icon of the Mother of God. In the 16th century, she became famous for the miracle of myrrh flow. Later miracles of healing were attributed to her.

A recording was found in a collection kept in the monastery library. It is dated 1595 according to the modern calendar. It contained the story of the miraculous. As the entry says: “Tears flowed from the eyes of the Most Pure One like streams.”

Spiritual heritage

Several years ago, the monastery of Djurdjevi Stupovi celebrated its birthday. And he was born neither more nor less, but eight centuries ago. This church became one of the first Orthodox churches on Montenegrin soil.

The monastery experienced many tragic days. Over its centuries-old history, it was destroyed by fire 5 times. Eventually the monks left the place.

For a long period, the medieval monastery was devastated. And only at the end of the 19th century a project to recreate this historical object began. Not only architectural structures were restored, but also monastic life.

There is a museum on the territory of the monastery. In it you can see fragments of surviving buildings and artifacts. Now the monastery of Djurdjevi Stupovi lives a real life. Constant charity events and collections are held for the development of this monument of spirituality.

The past is in the present

Today Orthodox monasteries continue their active activities. Despite the fact that the history of some has exceeded a thousand years, they continue to live according to the old way of life and do not strive to change anything.

The main occupations are farming and serving the Lord. Monks try to understand the world in accordance with the Bible and teach this to others. From their experience they show that money and power are transitory things. Even without them you can live and be absolutely happy.

Unlike churches, monasteries do not have a parish, however, people willingly visit the monks. Having renounced everything worldly, many of them receive a gift - the ability to cure illnesses or help with words.