Devout Christians established abbeys that were different from churches. The monks who lived in the abbeys were not like the priests who lived among the people of cities and villages. The monies lived secluded lives. They stayed in small communities of religious people. The places where they stayed were called abbeys or monasteries. Monasteries were usually away from Plus One History Chapter Wise Questions and Answers Chapter 6 Changing Traditions - crowded centers. The persons who stayed in the abbeys were monks and their head was called Abbot.
There were many monasteries. But two of them became very famous. One was in Subiaco, Italy which was founded in 529 by St. Benedict. The other is the Cluny Abbey in Burgundy which was founded in 910.
The monks pledge to stay in the abbeys for the rest of their lives and spend their time in prayers, studies, farming, and other physical work. Women also could take religious vows and become Nuns. Nuns stayed in Convents. The nuns also could not marry.
