discuss the role of medieval monasteries in Europe
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Monastaries grew out the hermit movement in early Christianity. They were intended to allow devoted Catholics to spend their lives focused on God.
On a government level they frequently were the main governing body in the area and served as a replacement for lost Roman leadership. They usually owned tracts of land worked by peasents, and in many ways functioned like any manorial system. Abbotts were powerful men during the middle ages.
Monastaries also preserved the works of Roman and Greek authors. THis is often ignored by revisionists who are trying to bend history to fit an agenda. Monks were allowed to copy pagan works, and were allowed to read them; they were cautioned against having to much interest in them because many things they speak of runs counter to Catholic teaching. Without the monks hand copying work many of the Roman and Greek texts we have today would have been lost to western society. Monastaries were frequently the last places to preserve literacy.
On a government level they frequently were the main governing body in the area and served as a replacement for lost Roman leadership. They usually owned tracts of land worked by peasents, and in many ways functioned like any manorial system. Abbotts were powerful men during the middle ages.
Monastaries also preserved the works of Roman and Greek authors. THis is often ignored by revisionists who are trying to bend history to fit an agenda. Monks were allowed to copy pagan works, and were allowed to read them; they were cautioned against having to much interest in them because many things they speak of runs counter to Catholic teaching. Without the monks hand copying work many of the Roman and Greek texts we have today would have been lost to western society. Monastaries were frequently the last places to preserve literacy.
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