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- Devotion to religious life under vows of
- poverty, chastity, and obedience, known to
- Judaism (for example Essenes), Buddhism, and
- other religions, before Christianity. In
- Islam, the Sufis formed monastic orders from
- the 12th century. history, Christian 3rd
- century The institution of monasticism is
- ascribed to St Anthony in Egypt, but the
- inauguration of communal life is attributed
- to his disciple, St Pachomius. Possibly
- communities for women (nuns, from Latin nonna
- `elderly woman') preceded those for men, and
- most male orders have their female
- counterpart. 6th century Full adaptation to
- conditions in W Europe was made by St
- Benedict, his `rule' being generally adopted.
- 10th century In 910 the founding of Cluny
- began the system of orders whereby each
- monastery was subordinated to a central
- institution. 11th century During the Middle
- Ages other forms of monasticism were
- established, including the hermitlike
- Carthusians 1084 and the Augustinian Canons,
- who were clerics organized under a monastic
- system. 12th century The military Knights
- Templar and Knights Hospitallers of St John
- were formed. 13th century The four mendicant
- orders of friars - Franciscans, Dominicans,
- Carmelites, and Augustinians - were
- established, and monasticism reached the
- height of its influence. 16th century Already
- weakened by the wars, plagues, and schisms of
- the 14th and 15th centuries, monasticism was
- severely affected by the Reformation. A
- revival came with the foundation of orders
- dedicated to particular missions, such as the
- great weapon of the Counter-Reformation, the
- Society of Jesus (Jesuits) 1540. 17th century
- The Trappist Cistercians were founded at La
- Trappe. 18th century The French Revolution
- exercised a repressive influence. 20th
- century Since the Vatican II Council, the
- trend in many orders is towards modern dress
- and involvement outside the monastery,
- despite disapproval by Pope John Paul II.
-