What does monastery mean?
A monastery is a religious community organized around vows such as poverty, chastity, and obedience, together with the buildings in which its members live and carry out their work. In contemporary English, the term most often refers to a Christian institution and may cover a church, residential quarters, gardens, libraries, workshops, and surrounding grounds. Historically, monasteries were not only places of worship: they also preserved books, taught, copied manuscripts, provided hospitality, and administered valuable estates. The word can refer either to the physical complex or, more broadly, to the community itself. Today monasteries are associated with heritage architecture, contemplative life, tourism, and religious history, although their meanings and functions have varied greatly across time, regions, and traditions. The distinction from an abbey is not absolute, since both terms can describe medieval religious houses, but an abbey traditionally places particular emphasis on leadership by an abbot.
nounA building or complex in which members of a religious community live and work according to religious vows, especially in the Christian tradition. The term can also refer more broadly to the community itself.
- A building or complex housing members of a religious community living under religious vows.
- The community or religious house itself, especially in a Christian context.
"The medieval monastery was a center of worship, scholarship, and hospitality for travelers."
"The abbey library preserves manuscripts copied by the community's scribes."
"She entered the monastery after completing her novitiate and made vows of religious service."
The standard plural changes -y to -ies: monastery becomes monasteries.
"Several monasteries in the region preserve medieval manuscripts and historic gardens."
Before hotels became common destinations, monasteries often served as important stopping places for pilgrims, travelers, scholars, and the poor.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does monastery come from?
The word comes through Old French monasterie from Latin monasterium. Latin monasterium was borrowed from Greek monastērion, a diminutive related to monos, meaning “alone,” reflecting the withdrawal of members of a religious community from ordinary society. The related English words monk and monastic preserve the same broader etymological tradition.
Related word forms
How monastery is actually used
The word is most common in historical, religious, architectural, and travel contexts. In modern usage it usually refers to a Christian religious house, although the basic sense can be extended to comparable institutions in other traditions.
Easily confused with monastery
A monastery is a religious community or its residential complex, whereas an abbey traditionally emphasizes a religious house headed by an abbot and may also refer specifically to its church or buildings.
A monastery is a place or community, while monastic is an adjective describing life, practices, or institutions associated with monks or religious vows.