“In 1752 he became a monk at the monastery of the Escorial, and a year later was admitted to holy orders.”

“Italian influences are discernible in the wall paintings in the cloister of the Emmaus monastery.”

“It was heavily funded by Otto I, who gave the abbess of the monastery much power and privilege.”

“As a form of devotion, monasticism involves renouncing all worldly pursuits to dedicate one's life entirely to spiritual work.”

“Chapter 3, on pre-Christian Egyptian monasticism, along with a paragraph on Sufi mysticism, is too sketchy and vague to be of much help.”

“Until the early twelfth century the Benedictines all but monopolised Western monasticism.”

“It is also in Egypt, land of great spirituality, that a particular shape of religious life was born: monachism.”

“Joachim does not conceal his sympathies with the ideal of Basilian monachism.”

“What Basil's rule was for Eastern monachism, St. Benedict's was for early Western monasticism.”

“In addition, the land which the monasteries owned in the name of the Church, led bishops and abbots to have distinct political power as well.”

“It is exhilarating to visit these monasteries, as also the Buddhist Museum which has Buddhist relics excavated from various parts of India.”

“The abbey was founded in 1132 and monks lived in it for 400 years until Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.”