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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Religious Institutions and Roles

Monastery

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

/ˈmɒnəstri/nounCommon term

In religious studies & theology, monastery means: A building or group of buildings where a community of monks, or sometimes nuns, lives under religious vows and follows a shared rule of prayer and work.

In Turkish: manastır

How it is used

Used for Christian, Buddhist and Hindu communities. The adjective monastic appears in monastic life, monastic rule and monastic orders. A community of nuns is often called a convent, and a large Christian monastery may be an abbey.

Example sentences

  1. Sumela Monastery near Trabzon was an important centre of Orthodox monastic life.

  2. In Thailand, many young men spend a few months in a Buddhist monastery.

Common collocations

  • Buddhist monastery
  • enter a monastery
  • monastic life
  • monastery library
  • monkA man who has left ordinary life to live under religious vows, usually in a community, devoting himself to prayer, study or meditation.
  • asceticismA way of life of strict self-discipline in which a person gives up comfort, pleasure or possessions in pursuit of religious or spiritual goals.
  • ChristianityA monotheistic religion based on the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, whom Christians believe to be the Son of God; it began in the first century CE.
  • BuddhismA religious and philosophical tradition based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who lived in northern India around the fifth century BCE.

More terms: Religious Institutions and Roles

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