Glossary of Monasteries and Monasticism

This monastery glossary is provided to help you better understand and appreciate what you're looking at when visiting or staying in monasteries, abbeys and convents. In addition to architectural terms, key terms related to monastic life are also included.

For information on monasteries around the world, see Christian Monasteries & Abbeys. For terms related to churches and church services, see the Glossary of Cathedrals and Churches.

abbey: Church, monastery or convent used by a monastic community governed by an abbot or abbess. It is usually a large religious house belonging either to one of the orders of the Benedictine family or to certain orders of the Canons Regular (Augustinian Canons). See also priory.
abbot: Head of a monastery elected by the monks for life.
acoemetae: From Greek akoimetai, "sleepless ones." Eastern (Orthodox) Christian ascetics in general, and in particular those following the rule of St. Basil.
anchorite, anchoress: From Greek anachorio, "withdraw." One who withdraws from the world in order to practice religious devotion and asceticism. The term came to be associated specifically with monks who live in cells (i.e., restricted dwellings).
Anthony (Antony) of Egypt, St.: (c.250-356). Desert hermit regarded as "the father of Christian monasticism." He left no writings, but Athanasius recorded his life and actions in the Life of Anthony, which became widely influential.
ascetic: A person who practices asceticism.
asceticism: From Greek askesis, "exercise." The practice of self-denial or self-control as a means of religious attainment and discipline.
Augustinians: A Roman Catholic monastic order formed out of disparate orders of hermits in 1256. It is based on the Rule of St. Augustine, written by one of Augustine's followers during his lifetime or shortly thereafter. Those who follow Augustine's Rule include the Canons Regular, Premonstratensians, Dominicans, Bridgettines and Ursulines.
beguinage: A community of lay women living a life of poverty and chastity without living under a monastic rule or taking irrevocable vows.
belfry: The upper story of a tower where bells are hung, or a purpose-built structure for the hanging of bells.
Benedict, St.: (c.480-c.550). Italian monastic leader who lived at Monte Cassino and developed the influential Rule of St. Benedict.
Benedictine: Monastic order based on the Rule of St. Benedict.
Book of Hours: A book for the laity containing Psalms and prayers to be read at the times of the Divine Office.
Breviary: Book containing the Divine Office of the Roman Catholic Church.
Byzantine: Relating to the eastern Roman Empire, based in Constantinople, after the fall of Rome.
Canons Regular: Roman Catholic priests following a semi-monastic form of common life.
canticle: Song or prayer, other than a Psalm, derived from the Bible and used in church worship.
Carthusians: Roman Catholic monastic order characterized by austere and eremetical living. It is named for the original monastery of the order, La Grand Chartreuse ("charter-house") near Grenoble, France. Their monastic way of life was codifed in 1127 AD and has changed little since.
celebrant: Priest or minister who presides over a service including the Eucharist.
chapel: A small building or room set aside for worship. Large churches or cathedrals might have many chapels dedicated to different saints. A chantry chapel is a special chapel for prayers for the dead.
Christ Pantocrator: Christ depicted as "Ruler of the Universe," a common image on Orthodox icons.
Cistercians: Also called White Monks. Roman Catholic monastic order founded in Cîteaux (Latin Cistercium), Burgundy, France, in 1098. In contrast to the influential monastery at Cluny, the Cistercians were austere in diet, clothing, architecture and liturgy. See also Trappists.
cloister: A covered walkway surrounding an open courtyard. It connects the various domestic areas within a monastic building, and is also used for meditation and reading.
coenobite: From Greek koinos + bios, "common life." A monk or nun who lives in a community (i.e., in a monastery), as opposed a hermit.
convent: A monastery for nuns.
crucifix: A cross with an image of the crucified Christ on it.
cruciform: Cross-shaped.
crypt: Also called undercroft. A vaulted chamber made to house graves and relics, generally located below ground. Many crypts were made very large to allow access to pilgrims.
Divine Office: Also called daily office. The daily cycle of prayer services performed by clergy in liturgical churches. It includes the "day hours" - lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers and compline - and the "night office" (matins).
Dominicans: Also called the Friars Preacher or the Black Friars. Order of mendicant friars founded in the early 13th century by the Spanish St Dominic.
dorter: A monastic dormitory.
doxology: (Greek doxa, "glory"). A short hymn glorifying God.
effigy tomb: A tomb bearing a representation of the deceased, usually life sized, in three dimensions and of stone.
eremetical: Pertaining to the life of a hermit.
exchequer: Monastic building where rents and other income are received and held.
feretory: A chapel containing the shrine for a saint's relics.
Franciscans: Monastic order founded by Francis of Assisi in 1210 AD.
frater: A monastic dining room or refectory.
Greek cross plan: Church floor plan with four equal arms. See also Latin Cross Plan.
icon: A picture of a sacred or sanctified Christian person, traditionally used and venerated in the Orthodox Church. Icons commonly represent Christ Pantocrator, the Virgin as Queen of Heaven, or, less frequently, the saints. Since the 6th century, icons have been considered an aid to the devotee in making his prayers heard by the holy figure represented in the icon. The Orthodox icon grew out of the mosaic and fresco tradition of early Byzantine art.
iconostasis: From Greek for "icon-stand." In Orthodox churches (such as in Greece or Russia), the screen separating the sanctuary or altar from the church proper and adorned with various icons. The main tier the main tier must follow this iconographic form (from left to right): icon of the Patron Saint of the church, icon of the Virgin Mary, icon of Christ, and icon of St. John the Baptist.
Latin Cross Plan: Church floor plan with one arm longer than the other three.
lavatorium: A room or building in a monastery where monks wash before meals.
litany: A form of prayer consisting of a series of petitions sung by a deacon, a priest or cantors, to which the people made fixed responses.
liturgy: The prescribed worship rituals of the church, including the mass and divine office.
master general: The head of the Dominican order.
matins: The night office or the service recited at 2 am in the Divine Office.
minister general: The head of the Franciscan order.
misericord: From Latin misericordiae, "compassion." A swing-up seat in the choir of a major church, allowing clergy celebrating divine office to rest their weight while standing up.
missal: Book containing the forms of service for the mass.
monasticism: From Greek monachos, "celibate" or "solitary." The lifestyle of those who withdraw from society to devote themselves to God through prayer, austerity and discipline. Although there were earlier movements, Christian monasticism is generally said to have developed in the 3rd century. St. Anthony of Egypt, a desert hermit, is considered the Father of Christian Monasticism.
monk: A male practising monasticism.
niche: A shallow recess in a wall designed to contain a statue or some other ornament.
night stair: A staircase used by monks to enter a church directly from their dormitory in order to attend late night and early morning services.
nun: A female person practising monasticism.

pew: A long, backed bench on which congregants sit during church services.
prior: A leading member of a monastery, second in rank to the abbot, elected by the monks to serve for life.
priory: A monastery or convent led by a prior. Originally, a priory was an offshoot from a larger abbey, to the abbot of which it continued to be subordinate. Today there is often little distinction between an abbey and a priory.
refectory: A monastic dining room.
reredorter: A monastic toilet.
scriptorium: A room set apart for writing in a monastery.
shrine: A building or place (from an entire church to a small plaque) dedicated to a particular type of devotion commemorating an event or person.
stalls: Divisions within the choir, where clergy sits or stands during services. They are often made of richly carved wood.
stoup: A container for holy water near the door.
thurible: Container in which incense is burned.
Trappists: A 17th-century monastic order that grew out of the Cistercians. Originally known as the "Cistercians of Strict Observance," the Trappists advocated even more rigorous practices than the Cistercians, such as abstinence from meat. They are named for the monastery of La Trappe, where the movement's most important figure was abbot.
undercroft: Also called a crypt. A vaulted underground room beneath a church which may be used either as a burial place or for storage.
vestry: Room where the clergy and choir dress and the vestments are kept.