Medieval Monastic Life, Mendicant Orders, and Sacred Journeys

Monastic Reforms in the Middle Ages

Monastic reforms during the Middle Ages (5th to 11th centuries) saw Benedictine monasteries play a crucial role in religious life, as well as in social and cultural development. They taught farmers to cultivate the land and were guardians of classical culture. Their abbots often became powerful feudal lords, necessitating a careful reform. This reform took place in the 10th and 11th centuries, with two primary focuses:

• The Cluniac Reform (910 AD)

  The Abbey of Cluny, founded in 910 AD, saw its monks begin to restore the great principles of the Rule of St. Benedict. To achieve this, it became independent of temporal power and reformed the customs that had been introduced in its dependent monasteries. Cluny's influence spread throughout Europe, bringing with it Romanesque art.

• The Cistercian Reform (1098 AD)

  The monks of Cluny also began to fall into some of the errors of their predecessors. Therefore, nearly two centuries later, Robert of Molesme attempted to return to the primitive rigor of Cluny and founded the Abbey of Cîteaux, or the Cistercian Order, in 1098.

Then, in 1115, Bernard of Clairvaux founded a monastery at Clairvaux, which became one of the most important in Europe. Around 1100, St. Bruno founded the Carthusians, an order known for its great austerity in monastic life. The Charterhouse of Seville, founded in 1339, hosted this order until 1836.

The Rise of Mendicant Orders

In the 13th century, the development of cities and the spread of certain heresies created a new situation for the Church. This led to the emergence of new forms of religious life: the mendicant orders.

They were inspired by remarkable figures such as the Spanish St. Dominic (1170-1221), founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), and St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), founder of the Friars Minor (Franciscans). Other mendicant orders include the Augustinians, or Hermits of St. Augustine, which arose from the fusion of different Augustinian congregations, and the Carmelites, whose name refers to Mount Carmel.

Mendicant friars lived in small urban communities. They were deeply engaged in preaching and intellectual work. Unlike the great abbeys, they did not possess vast riches but relied on charity for their livelihoods. This is why they were known as 'beggars' or 'mendicants'.

Medieval Pilgrimages and the Camino de Santiago

The dissemination of art, culture, and religion often occurred along religious routes that spread throughout Europe and beyond. These journeys were known as pilgrimages. A pilgrimage is an individual or group journey, undertaken for religious reasons, to a sacred place. The three most popular sites were Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela.

Santiago's fame spread throughout the West from the 9th century, acquiring a status similar to Rome or Jerusalem. Fixed routes were established, giving rise to the well-known pilgrimage paths. To accommodate pilgrims along the way, shelters, hospitals, churches, and monasteries were built.