An abbey is a temple run by an abbot.
Abbey is the office of the abbot or abbess . By extension, the term refers to the region under the jurisdiction of the abbot and the church where he carries out his functions.
It should be noted that the notion of our language comes from the Latin word abbatia . Currently, the most common use of the concept is associated with the building of this type of temple .
The abbot, head of the abbey
It is important to note that the abbot is the religious person who occupies the highest place in the structure of a monastery (the abbey). The abbot is considered the spiritual father of the group of monks who are part of the abbey in question.
In the first monastic-type communities, there was a common center that was surrounded by various buildings. In that center lived someone recognized for his asceticism or his holiness. Over the years, this almost spontaneous structure began to take on greater formality, with disciples congregating around the site where their spiritual guide retired. In this way, religious communities began to develop that led to abbeys.
This person who gathered so many people around his house used to lead a hermit lifestyle , that is, isolated from the rest of society. On the other hand, they also stood out for following practices and norms that led them towards the achievement of virtue and the liberation of the spirit. Precisely, they did not have the need to organize these communities in a formal way, but this arose over time and they had to adapt.
Westminster Abbey is one of the most famous in the world.
The term beyond Christianity
Although the term abbey is usually associated with Christianity , it is important to note that these types of communities did not appear for the first time in the context of this religion.
For example, in Judea there had already existed the Essenes (a Jewish movement whose emergence is estimated around the year 250 BC and which lasted until the 1st century , according to various evidence), and in Egypt , the therapeutae (an order of type monasticism that was established a short distance from Alexandria , next to Lake Mareotis ).
Most famous abbeys
Westminster Abbey , located in London ( England ), is one of the most famous in the world. It was consecrated in 1065 and is part of the list of World Heritage Sites managed by UNESCO . From 1066 onwards, most English kings were crowned at this abbey.
The Abbey of Cluny , which is also known as Clungy or Cluni , is located in France , in the current municipality of the same name and its foundation took place at the end of the 1st century . Pope Sergius III was the authority of this abbey, in which Abbot Bernon of Baume lived. In 1790 , a group of revolutionaries looted it and left it in ruins , and that is why we cannot fully appreciate it today.
The Abbey of Montecasino , for its part, belongs to the order of Saint Benedict and is located south of Rome , Italy , on a rocky hill that measures approximately 520 meters high. The fact that makes it so important is that Benedict of Nursia , considered nothing less than the precursor of Western monastic life , designated this point for the establishment of the first monastery , and there the Benedictine order emerged. Furthermore, many clashes were fought in this abbey in the last stage of the Second World War .
Lagrasse Abbey , meanwhile, belongs to the Benedictine order and is located in the French town of the same name, next to the Orbieu River. It was founded in the 7th century and is one of the oldest on the European continent. Thanks to the privileges and donations that various lords gave it, such as castles and lands, this abbey enjoyed great wealth in a short time.