For nearly a thousand years monasteries dominated the landscape of England andthe lives of English people. Throughout the Middle Ages a fascinating varietyof pe... » 

For nearly a thousand years monasteries dominated the landscape of England andthe lives of English people. Throughout the Middle Ages a fascinating varietyof people joined the monasteries from saints and statesmen to rogues andrunaways. Life within the Abbey centered on the church where following theteachings of the Italian monk St. Benedict the nuns and monks spent most ofthe day praising God. At the same time however these nuns and monks made adistinct and valuable contribution to the cultural life of England. Themedieval monasteries were beacons of scholarship and artistic endeavorproducing works of great beauty and intellectual breadth. This world ofmedieval monasticism was swept away during the 16thcentury Reformation underHenry VIII.The four main sections of this book daily life the origins of monastic lifemonasteries in the medieval world decline and fall not only open a window onto a day in the life of a monk but also tell a fascinating story of culturalflowering and decay. «