Abstract
Monasticism is a way of life that officially appeared in the 4th century CE, when many
faithful people devoted to God lived a "rigorous" life. However, the cruel persecutions
of the Roman emperors in the middle of the 3rd and early 4th centuries CE. was the
main reason for developing and shaping a life of solitude. The father of monasticism
was Saint Anthony and other important figures in the history of monasticism were
Saint Pachomios and Saint Basil the Great. Monasticism from its birth to its final form
has gone through several phases, with the most important being the devotional or
hermitage existence form i.e. the Lavra's solitary system, the communal system and
the peculiar unique system. A life of solitude as a devotional choice began in Egypt
and developed in many other places, inter alia, Palestine, Syria, Constantinople and
Mount Athos. Through the organization of a communal but solitary life, one’s
longevity was acquired under certain conditions and a special festive ceremony was
attended by the monk in which there was a triple promise of virginity, chastity and
obedience. The twenty-four hours of a monk’s life were, and still are, divided into
three eight hour periods (prayer, rest and work). Another characteristic that we find
since the first years of the existence of monasticism is the notion of charity. Finally, it
is worth mentioning that in many monasteries there were scriptorial centers where
there was dedication to copying the Holy Scriptures and the classics of antiquity, thus
saving much of our patristic texts and classical heritage for posterity. Also artistic
works such as Byzantine paintings, iconography, poetry, sculpture and music were
cultivated and flourished in many monasteries such as those at Mount Athos in
Greece, and Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt.