#monastic-life

#monastic-life

Visiting Shasta Abbey can be a little like experiencing a time-warp. On a dark night when the grounds are covered with snow, and black-cloaked monks, solitary figures against the white, walk to and fro around the cloister's unfinished boardwalk, one can easily imagine having stepped several centuries back in time. The silent, one-story monastery, cast in the yellowish glow of small lanterns placed at intervals around the walk, is a tranquil presence in the night. An occasional bell blends with the stillness.

The themes are heavy the threats from disease and crop failures, not to mention powerful rulers but the polyphonic style is bright and joyful.

Hildegard of Bingen invented her own language and script, known as her Unknown Language and Unknown Letters, which is a word list of 1,011 nouns.

Murray’s research highlighted that medieval monks faced significant debates about the practicality and morality of wearing undergarments, influencing their monastic traditions.