The Norman Monastery reform

The Norman Monastery reform

1. English monasteries

   • Where Monks or nuns lived and worked
   • Belonged to the Benedictine order
     • Monks and nuns took three vows
       • POVERTY: giving up all of their possessions
       • CHASTITY: promising not to marry and to remain celibate
       • OBEDIENCE: to follow the instructions of the abbot/abbess or prior/prioress
   • Most monasteries were supported by a rich patron who paid for their building but expected some control in return
   • Viking raids, poverty and the power of local lords led to the decline in monasticism before the Norman conquest

2. Norman’s reformed Monasteries

   • Lanfranc introduced monastic reforms from1077
     • Lanfranc had been a monk himself and was keen to reform English monasteries
     • In 1077, he introduced new constitution at Canterbury
       • This laid out a new set of strict rules for monks’ daily lives and for the celebration of saints
     • He also reformed the liturgy ( the words used religious services)
     • There was some resistance to these changes.
       • In 1086, the abbot of Glastonbury sent knights to force his monks into accepting the new rules
   • By 1086 there were only 3 Anglo-Saxon abbots remaining
   • The reforms increased monasticism
     • Between 1066 and 1135, the number of monks and nuns increased from 1000 to 5000
     • The number of religious houses grew from 60 to 250
   • Most monasteries became Cluniac monasteries
     • These were less independent then earlier monasteries
     • Had to follow the rules of Cluny Abby in France