Wishart sketches the monastic movement from its origins to its overthrow in the sixteenth century. He begins with the hermits of the Egyptian desert, Simeon the pillar saint and the communities of the East, then follows Benedict and the Western rule, Cluny, the Cistercians, the friars under Francis and Dominic, and the forces that brought the system down.
A readable survey for anyone curious about how monasteries shaped medieval Europe. Download the free EPUB.