Christian monasticism had its origin in Egypt. In the second and third centuries, Christians sought to lead ascetic and holy lives in the deserts of Egypt. Some lived alone as hermits, and others formed communes where they devoted themselves to the pursuit of holiness rather than worldly success. Christianity became legal in the fourth century, and the monastic lifestyle became popular throughout the Roman Empire.
             In the early days of monasticism, each community developed its own rules, procedures, and priorities. Some communities demanded strict lifestyles and some did not, which resulted in Monks frittering away their time or wandered aimlessly from one monastic house to another. These haphazard conditions prevented monasteries from mounting effective Christian missions.
             The early monastic movement was strengthened by St Benedict of Nursia in 529. He prepared a set of regulations known as Benedict's Rule that he founded at Monte Cassino. The rule did not permit extreme asceticism, but required monks to take vows to lead communal, celibate lives under the absolute direction of the abbot who supervised the monastery: poverty, chastity, and obedience became prime virtues for the Benedictine monks. The Rule also called for monks to spend their time in prayer, meditation, and work. Hours were divided up during the day into periods of study, reflection, and manual labor. They were called, matins, lauds, prime, teree, sext, nones, uespers, and compline.
             The discipline introduced by the Rule strengthened monasteries. They became a dominant feature in the social and cultural life of Western Europe throughout the middle ages. Monasteries helped to restore order in the country and expand agriculture production. They accumulated large landholdings, as well as authority over serfs working their lands. Mostly in France and Germany, abbots of monasteries dispatched teams of monks and serfs to clear forests, drain swamps, and p...