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The Monastic World: A 1,200-Year History
A major new history of medieval monasticism, from the fourth to the sixteenth century
From the late Roman Empire onwards, monasteries and convents were a common sight throughout Europe. But who were monasteries for? What kind of people founded and maintained them? And how did monasticism change over the thousand years or so of the Middle Ages?
Andrew Jotischky traces the history of monastic life from its origins in the fourth century to the sixteenth. He shows how religious houses sheltered the poor and elderly, cared for the sick, and educated the young. They were centres of intellectual life that owned property and exercised power but also gave rise to new developments in theology, music, and art.
This book brings together the Orthodox and western stories, as well as the experiences of women, to show the full picture of medieval monasticism for the first time. It is a fascinating, wide-ranging account that broadens our understanding of life in holy orders as never before.
Listed in Englewood Review of Books' "Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers," Fall 2024
"A fine scholarly guide to the origins, growth and flourishing of the myriad forms of Christian ascetic life that dominated both Western and Eastern Christianity for a millennium and which still form a vital part of the Church's religious experience."--Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church, University of Oxford
"An accessible and compelling exploration of medieval monasticism that asks fundamental questions about the role of monasteries in medieval culture and argues for their relevance to modern societies."--Janet Burton, author of Medieval Monasticism
"Clear and compelling...Deeply learned yet welcoming to general readers, this book presents a holistic picture of medieval ascetic practices from Syria to Ireland in all of their dizzying variety over the course of the medieval millennium."--Scott G. Bruce, author of Cluny and the Muslims of La Garde-Freinet
From the late Roman Empire onwards, monasteries and convents were a common sight throughout Europe. But who were monasteries for? What kind of people founded and maintained them? And how did monasticism change over the thousand years or so of the Middle Ages?
Andrew Jotischky traces the history of monastic life from its origins in the fourth century to the sixteenth. He shows how religious houses sheltered the poor and elderly, cared for the sick, and educated the young. They were centres of intellectual life that owned property and exercised power but also gave rise to new developments in theology, music, and art.
This book brings together the Orthodox and western stories, as well as the experiences of women, to show the full picture of medieval monasticism for the first time. It is a fascinating, wide-ranging account that broadens our understanding of life in holy orders as never before.
Listed in Englewood Review of Books' "Most Anticipated Books for Christian Readers," Fall 2024
"A fine scholarly guide to the origins, growth and flourishing of the myriad forms of Christian ascetic life that dominated both Western and Eastern Christianity for a millennium and which still form a vital part of the Church's religious experience."--Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church, University of Oxford
"An accessible and compelling exploration of medieval monasticism that asks fundamental questions about the role of monasteries in medieval culture and argues for their relevance to modern societies."--Janet Burton, author of Medieval Monasticism
"Clear and compelling...Deeply learned yet welcoming to general readers, this book presents a holistic picture of medieval ascetic practices from Syria to Ireland in all of their dizzying variety over the course of the medieval millennium."--Scott G. Bruce, author of Cluny and the Muslims of La Garde-Freinet
432 pages, Hardcover
Published January 14, 2025
About the author
Andrew Jotischky
25 books6 followersProfessor Andrew Jotischky is a professor at Bowland College, Lancaster University,
United Kingdom. His interests are centered on medieval religious beliefs, traditions and practices, and on religious institutions. I write about medieval monasticism, including mendicant orders; the Crusades and the Crusader States; interactions between Latin and Greek Orthodox Christendom; pilgrimage; food and diet in the Middle Ages.
Dr. Jotischky's work has been funded by the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation.
United Kingdom. His interests are centered on medieval religious beliefs, traditions and practices, and on religious institutions. I write about medieval monasticism, including mendicant orders; the Crusades and the Crusader States; interactions between Latin and Greek Orthodox Christendom; pilgrimage; food and diet in the Middle Ages.
Dr. Jotischky's work has been funded by the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 19, 2025
Jotischky's project is ambitious, and he knows it, so while it may be unfair to fault him for inevitable flaws in an impossible task, I can only assess the book as it is. By attempting to cover over a millennium of history (both East and West) *with* the thesis(?) that revolves around the irreducible diversity of monasticism, in under 350 pages, _The Monastic World_ is necessarily cursory and imbalanced. That is, it glosses over major episodes in monastic and ecclesial history with just a few words but then camps into particulars of this or that anecdote of an obscure prior or the trend in meat consumption over several centuries, evidently based on the availability a specialized source Jotischky can sumarize more than on a point's own merits of interest or its clear contribution to any larger thesis. Again, it may be that Jotischky is content just to demonstrate the diversity of monastic history, and he does this effectively enough in the space he uses, if with greater granularity than was needed to accomplish as much—given again that this granularity may seem at times arbitrary and one could wish for more development of other events.
The difficulty and execution of the main task notwithstanding, I found _The Monastic World_ neither well-written nor well-edited. Given the far-ranging subject matter crammed into 350 pages, the reader would have been exceptionally well served by some of the elementary principles of paragraph structure that help signal the organization of thought—including topic sentences and the division of paragraphs into a single larger ideas. Instead, Jotischky seems to continue a paragraph until he gets tired and starts a new one, making it challenging to determine the focus and direction of his narration as it enters the weeds. Likewise, his sentence structures frequently bear an needless complexity and (very rarely) seem to contain a typo.
In the end, despite its relative brevity, I'm not entirely sure on what basis I would recommend _The Monastic World_ versus a collection of shorter and more focused histories in order accomplish roughly the same end in demonstrating the complexity of the monastic 'story.'
The difficulty and execution of the main task notwithstanding, I found _The Monastic World_ neither well-written nor well-edited. Given the far-ranging subject matter crammed into 350 pages, the reader would have been exceptionally well served by some of the elementary principles of paragraph structure that help signal the organization of thought—including topic sentences and the division of paragraphs into a single larger ideas. Instead, Jotischky seems to continue a paragraph until he gets tired and starts a new one, making it challenging to determine the focus and direction of his narration as it enters the weeds. Likewise, his sentence structures frequently bear an needless complexity and (very rarely) seem to contain a typo.
In the end, despite its relative brevity, I'm not entirely sure on what basis I would recommend _The Monastic World_ versus a collection of shorter and more focused histories in order accomplish roughly the same end in demonstrating the complexity of the monastic 'story.'
May 10, 2026
This was a very good history of Christian monasticism from its origins until the dissolutions of the sixteenth century. It is quite short for the scope of its subject and so is necessarily a panoramic overview rather than a detailed history. As such there are some key editorial decisions Jotischky has made, most notably the exclusion of any detailed discussion of the mendicant orders that emerged from the twelfth century onwards, in favour of a pure focus on the more traditional enclosed cenobitic and eremitical orders. I was somewhat disappointed by this, and feel the book missed a valuable opportunity compare these different forms of religious life as a result , but hey-ho. To his credit Jotischky makes this a history of Western and Byzantine monasticism in the period covered , allowing for a different and perhaps more neglected form of comparison (although nothing is said about Russian monasticism). He also spends significant times on the experiences and role of female monastics, again I suspect righting the wrong of previous neglect.
Jotischky does a good job of avoiding an overly narrative approach and the book is peppered with fascinating, insightful and often quite amusing asides that place the spotlight on a certain issue, individual or episode. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of Bernard of Clairvaux, who he portrays as almost akin to a modern poster/reply-guy unable to keep himself from making known his take on every issue of the day, such as via writing unsolicited letters to noblewomen advising them on their marital affairs and getting incredibly irate in his correspondence when his advice is not positively received.
I felt that the first half, covering late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, was very strong and where this sort of anecdotal insight into the minds and experiences of monks and nuns was most pronounced. I really got a sense of the different conceptions of monasticism and how these influenced each other in this early period. Further, Jotischky makes clear many of the historiographical problems of the period such as the difficulty in sifting between the literary construction of ideals by early monastic writers and the reality they were purportedly describing. The only thing I felt missing in this section was any discussion of the classical antecedents to monasticism in Greek stoicism - this may be a connection Jotischky does not think much of but if so I would be interested to know why.1 The latter half dealing with later medieval developments by contrast felt like a rushed race to the finish. Major developments were passed over in sentences and less time spent on the reflexive and anecdotal approach that made the first half so enjoyable and insightful.
An area where Jotischky should be commended is the deftness with which he deals with the purported tensions between the spiritual aspects of monasticism with its more material, political and social side. For some this can be a difficult circle to square. I am aware that Alice Roberts, a biologist and member of that noted New Atheist fountain of crass ahistoricism, Humanists UK, has ventured well outside the bounds of her professional knowledge to write a pop-history book on early Christianity covering a similar period to Jotischky, that thanks to her TV celebrity occupies a more prominent place on Waterstones book shelves. As well as repeating long debunked myths created by nineteenth century neo-pagans about the pagan origins of Easter (somewhat ironic for a self-identified “rationalist”), she also spends some time on monasticism. A particular claim I’m aware she makes is that monastic asceticism was primarily a cynical performative endeavour to gain power, as evidenced by the location of monasteries close to places of power, with monks engaging in self-denial to cultivate an image of holiness in the same way modern celebrities flaunt their own asceticism via diet and lifestyle to achieve fame. This is linked to a wider (and boringly familiar) story of a crass , exploitative Church using religious belief as a tool to accrue wealth and power and control populations. Any notion of genuine belief and spiritual life driving monasticism and asceticism is dismissed as largely myth. I find it annoying, despite sharing many of the immediate political goals of the Humanist movement (vis a vis secularism , LGBT rights , animal welfare etc), that the movement has pilfered the label humanist from its more conventional usage, especially when the poverty of their anachronism is the antithesis of humanistic learning proper. In contrast to this Jotischky does a stellar job of exploring the issues of how monasticism interacted with systems of power and exploitation in a much more nuanced way. Time is spent on the monasteries as landowners and institutions, as well as on the large overlap between the aristocratic ruling elites and monastic populations (and the resultant role high-profile monks played in top end politics). Yet time is also spent on ways monasticism and monks could speak truth to power and wield their spiritual authority in ways to set an example to ruling elites. Further, there is none of the enormously condescending approach that assumes religious belief was superficial and secondary to the material, and Jotischky does a wonderful job of uncovering the inner spiritual lives of monks and the deep theological concerns that could dominate their thoughts and actions. Indeed , Jotischky shows how the spiritual and material overlapped absconding the very modern barrier between the two, giving a much more insightful result.
Overall were the quality of the first half kept up this would probs be 5* , but as it stands I felt in a bit of haze after the unnecessary speed of the latter half. Still very good overall, would recommend as a good intro to Christian monasticism.
Jotischky does a good job of avoiding an overly narrative approach and the book is peppered with fascinating, insightful and often quite amusing asides that place the spotlight on a certain issue, individual or episode. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of Bernard of Clairvaux, who he portrays as almost akin to a modern poster/reply-guy unable to keep himself from making known his take on every issue of the day, such as via writing unsolicited letters to noblewomen advising them on their marital affairs and getting incredibly irate in his correspondence when his advice is not positively received.
I felt that the first half, covering late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, was very strong and where this sort of anecdotal insight into the minds and experiences of monks and nuns was most pronounced. I really got a sense of the different conceptions of monasticism and how these influenced each other in this early period. Further, Jotischky makes clear many of the historiographical problems of the period such as the difficulty in sifting between the literary construction of ideals by early monastic writers and the reality they were purportedly describing. The only thing I felt missing in this section was any discussion of the classical antecedents to monasticism in Greek stoicism - this may be a connection Jotischky does not think much of but if so I would be interested to know why.1 The latter half dealing with later medieval developments by contrast felt like a rushed race to the finish. Major developments were passed over in sentences and less time spent on the reflexive and anecdotal approach that made the first half so enjoyable and insightful.
An area where Jotischky should be commended is the deftness with which he deals with the purported tensions between the spiritual aspects of monasticism with its more material, political and social side. For some this can be a difficult circle to square. I am aware that Alice Roberts, a biologist and member of that noted New Atheist fountain of crass ahistoricism, Humanists UK, has ventured well outside the bounds of her professional knowledge to write a pop-history book on early Christianity covering a similar period to Jotischky, that thanks to her TV celebrity occupies a more prominent place on Waterstones book shelves. As well as repeating long debunked myths created by nineteenth century neo-pagans about the pagan origins of Easter (somewhat ironic for a self-identified “rationalist”), she also spends some time on monasticism. A particular claim I’m aware she makes is that monastic asceticism was primarily a cynical performative endeavour to gain power, as evidenced by the location of monasteries close to places of power, with monks engaging in self-denial to cultivate an image of holiness in the same way modern celebrities flaunt their own asceticism via diet and lifestyle to achieve fame. This is linked to a wider (and boringly familiar) story of a crass , exploitative Church using religious belief as a tool to accrue wealth and power and control populations. Any notion of genuine belief and spiritual life driving monasticism and asceticism is dismissed as largely myth. I find it annoying, despite sharing many of the immediate political goals of the Humanist movement (vis a vis secularism , LGBT rights , animal welfare etc), that the movement has pilfered the label humanist from its more conventional usage, especially when the poverty of their anachronism is the antithesis of humanistic learning proper. In contrast to this Jotischky does a stellar job of exploring the issues of how monasticism interacted with systems of power and exploitation in a much more nuanced way. Time is spent on the monasteries as landowners and institutions, as well as on the large overlap between the aristocratic ruling elites and monastic populations (and the resultant role high-profile monks played in top end politics). Yet time is also spent on ways monasticism and monks could speak truth to power and wield their spiritual authority in ways to set an example to ruling elites. Further, there is none of the enormously condescending approach that assumes religious belief was superficial and secondary to the material, and Jotischky does a wonderful job of uncovering the inner spiritual lives of monks and the deep theological concerns that could dominate their thoughts and actions. Indeed , Jotischky shows how the spiritual and material overlapped absconding the very modern barrier between the two, giving a much more insightful result.
Overall were the quality of the first half kept up this would probs be 5* , but as it stands I felt in a bit of haze after the unnecessary speed of the latter half. Still very good overall, would recommend as a good intro to Christian monasticism.
December 13, 2025
At just short of 350 pages long The Monastic World makes no claim to be a comprehensive history of monasticism, although Jotischky does a very good job of surveying the earliest murky beginnings of Christian monasticism - most likely beginning before St Anthony - through the early definitions and codifications of John Cassian and St Benedict and through to the high point of the mediaeval institution until the fall of Constantinople and the Reformation brought everything (literally) crashing down.
Notable in Jotischky's survey is the equal handed approach to Western and Byzantine monasticism. The former marked by rule (notably the Benedictine) the latter by typikos, the example set by a holy man or woman. The former seen visibly in the romantic ruins of Fountains and Riveaulx (or the still active Grand Chartreuse), the latter seen in the small cells - or lavra - or Mount Athos.
Jotischky enlivens the book with examples of good and bad monastic behaviour taken from chronicles and hagiographies. The ending of the book on the eve of the Reformation means that only a cursory epilogue takes us into the monastic world today, where there has been a surprising revival. Russian monasticism is not dealt with, nor the significant ecumenical movement of Taize or the work of L'Arche. This is not meant as a criticism, only that The Monastic World is a 1200 year history, not an 1800 year one.
Jotischky is clear that his covering of monasticism really means the cenobitic or eremitic life and not the friars. This is an understandable and wise decision but it does mean that an important aspect of the Monastic World - the friars - is left out, as are hermits. This also means that the influence of monastic life on mysticism is left out - so no Julian of Norwich, Thomas a Kempis or Meister Eckhart.
Overall I enjoyed the book and have learnt a lot but felt something of a lack.
Notable in Jotischky's survey is the equal handed approach to Western and Byzantine monasticism. The former marked by rule (notably the Benedictine) the latter by typikos, the example set by a holy man or woman. The former seen visibly in the romantic ruins of Fountains and Riveaulx (or the still active Grand Chartreuse), the latter seen in the small cells - or lavra - or Mount Athos.
Jotischky enlivens the book with examples of good and bad monastic behaviour taken from chronicles and hagiographies. The ending of the book on the eve of the Reformation means that only a cursory epilogue takes us into the monastic world today, where there has been a surprising revival. Russian monasticism is not dealt with, nor the significant ecumenical movement of Taize or the work of L'Arche. This is not meant as a criticism, only that The Monastic World is a 1200 year history, not an 1800 year one.
Jotischky is clear that his covering of monasticism really means the cenobitic or eremitic life and not the friars. This is an understandable and wise decision but it does mean that an important aspect of the Monastic World - the friars - is left out, as are hermits. This also means that the influence of monastic life on mysticism is left out - so no Julian of Norwich, Thomas a Kempis or Meister Eckhart.
Overall I enjoyed the book and have learnt a lot but felt something of a lack.
August 28, 2025
Fascinante historia del surgimiento, evolución e impacto de las órdenes religiosas de la Iglesia Católica en el medioevo.
Las órdenes monásticas fueron una parte fundamental de la cultura occidental durante siglos, influyendo fuertemente, pero al mismo tiempo siendo influidas por las sociedades en las que se desarrollaron. Además de ser una fuente inagotable de riqueza espiritual, los monasterios fueron parte esencial de la vida (y, muchas veces, de la economía) de las comunidades en las que se establecían. No es de extrañar que una gran parte de las obras de caridad (que ahora llamaríamos obras sociales) de la época, como hospicios, hospitales, escuelas y, eventualmente, universidades, estuvieran relacionadas con órdenes religiosas.
Si bien, el autor presenta al movimiento monástico como algo bueno y valioso, no se trata de un escrito hagiográfico. Como todas las historias humanas, la de las ordenes no está exenta de episodios de ambición, luchas de poder y protagonistas que no siempre lograban cumplir las nobles aspiraciones propias de su menester. Sin embargo, esta lectura nos ayuda a entender y apreciar a las diversas órdenes monásticas, cada una con sus particulares carismas, espiritualidades y devociones, como un regalo de Dios para la Iglesia y el mundo.
Las órdenes monásticas fueron una parte fundamental de la cultura occidental durante siglos, influyendo fuertemente, pero al mismo tiempo siendo influidas por las sociedades en las que se desarrollaron. Además de ser una fuente inagotable de riqueza espiritual, los monasterios fueron parte esencial de la vida (y, muchas veces, de la economía) de las comunidades en las que se establecían. No es de extrañar que una gran parte de las obras de caridad (que ahora llamaríamos obras sociales) de la época, como hospicios, hospitales, escuelas y, eventualmente, universidades, estuvieran relacionadas con órdenes religiosas.
Si bien, el autor presenta al movimiento monástico como algo bueno y valioso, no se trata de un escrito hagiográfico. Como todas las historias humanas, la de las ordenes no está exenta de episodios de ambición, luchas de poder y protagonistas que no siempre lograban cumplir las nobles aspiraciones propias de su menester. Sin embargo, esta lectura nos ayuda a entender y apreciar a las diversas órdenes monásticas, cada una con sus particulares carismas, espiritualidades y devociones, como un regalo de Dios para la Iglesia y el mundo.
October 7, 2025
This is a great overview of Christian monasticism, synthesizing lots and lots of research, and bringing it into one single story. I especially appreciate the way the book gets into the messy complications that are left of accounts intended strictly for spiritual edification, like how various monastic groups fit into power struggles between wealthy families, kings, bishops, and popes. And the scope, East and West, and from the Desert fathers through various reforms and into the early days of the Reformation, is perfect.
The Monastic World does have too many names and some readers are going to struggle with that. But the names are almost always given in the context of an example of a clear point, and the reader actually doesn't have to keep close track of who is who. You can let it wash over you—to great benefit.
The Monastic World does have too many names and some readers are going to struggle with that. But the names are almost always given in the context of an example of a clear point, and the reader actually doesn't have to keep close track of who is who. You can let it wash over you—to great benefit.
January 5, 2026
Some real stories to help consider how and why people lived out their faith. A friend and I have had a repeated discussion wherein he has claimed that he does not wish to live as a monk. After reading this I would pose that life as a monk is less about living an ascetic life and more about living an intentional life with God ever in mind.
March 16, 2025
In the right hands, this is an excellent book. But for a casual reader, there was just too much detail. This book is written for professional historians (who I am sure would give it a 5-star rating)
January 2, 2026
An engaging overview of Christian monasticism.
April 5, 2026
Interesting.
April 21, 2026
Interesting, but overlooks many European countries, namely Spain and Portugal.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews