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Monastery In Medieval Times

Monastery in Medieval Times

Did the Monastery in Medieval Times serve a purpose beyond housing the clergy of the day?

Times Medieval Monastery

Monastic life was much more than simple prayer and devotions. Monasteries often produced crafts or food and then sold them for profit. In fact, legend has it that it was an Italian monk that invented pretzels. Other items that might've been sold were baskets, prayer beads, or textiles.

Monastery In Medieval Times History & Civil Business Politics

The monastery was sometimes a double for something else. Monks were often politically led. Maybe the monks themselves were religious, but those who led them were connected to a lord, king or some other movement. A good example of this was the Templars. Anyway, a monastery often had underground chambers that kept prisoners for torture in the name of religion, or it could be a place to escape enemies, like I said it all depends on what political alignment they were in.