Travel Guides Crafted by Experienced Archaeologists & Historians

Monasteries Around the World

What were once secluded communities of monks and nuns, are now in may parts of the world popular attractions. From austere mountain retreats to grand and ornate complexes in important cities, monasteries have played an important role in many cultures around the world. They are not just tourist attractions. Despite many challenges over the centuries, many monasteries continue to serve as important spiritual centres, drawing people from all over the world who seek to experience a different way of life. 

Monasteries & Abbeys in Europe

For well over a thousand years, one religion has dominated Europe. From its origins in the Levant, Christianity came to be the religion of millions of people, from northern Scandinavia to the Mediterranean islands. For many Christians, their faith is something readily practised as part of an ordinary life of work, marriage, and child-rearing. For others, living a Christian life has meant setting themselves apart from the everyday world, dedicating themselves to celibacy, austerity, and religious devotion. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the monasteries, nunneries, abbeys, and priories that have sprung up across the continent and which played a particularly prominent role during the Middle Ages.