What monks meant by fasting, and what they ate when they didn't. An article on Christianity Today by Sister Benedicta Ward. Further details...

A moving article on the way of monastic community; by Monk Moses. Further details...

Modern Christian hermits still look to him for inspiration, as did the entire Middle Ages, but today we hardly know him. What did the illiterate recluse, known as Antony of the Desert, do to earn such adulation? An article on Christianity Today by Mark Galli. Further details...

Professional-quality photographs of monasteries and monastics of various Orthodox traditions. Further details...

Monasticism was more or less a solitary affair until these four came along and taught monks how to live in community. An article on Christianity Today by Columba Stewart, Frederica Mathews-Green, and Marci Rae Johnson. Further details...

An extensive collection of links on monasticism provided by Mr Green's index of Orthodox resources. Further details...

By Father Theologos (Pantanizopoulos). Further details...

The stories of desert fathers' skirmishes with demons pointed to a larger struggle — and victory. An article on Christianity Today by Diana Severance. Further details...

Western web site of the Roman Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, including much useful information on the Western manifestation of a monastic life based upon the teachings of a saint common to the East and West. Further details...

Sabas just wanted to pray where Christ had lived and died but ended up establishing the most famous monastery in the Judean Desert. An article on Christianity Today by John Binns. Further details...

Jerome was a disciplined ascetic who was on top of current affairs. An article on Christianity Today by Kelvin Crow and Mark Galli. Further details...

Part of the 'Our Faith' series on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese web site, this lengthy text by +MAXIMOS (Aghiorgoussis), Bishop of Pittsburgh, discusses the formation, history, and present-day importance of Orthodox monasticism. Resources are also provided for further study. Further details...

Why thousands of early Christians took up the monastic way. An article on Christianity Today by James E. Goehring. Further details...

Athanasius's biography was not only a bestseller in its day, but a book that made people stop and think—and act. An article on Christianity Today by David Wright. Further details...

The early monks not only prayed in the desert but sometimes rioted in the cities. An article on Christianity Today by Kenneth Calvert. Further details...

For the desert fathers, theology was not the study of God but the study of how to become like God. An article on Christianity Today by Dennis D. Martin. Further details...

What many found when they sought God in a seemingly God-forsaken landscape. An article on Christianity Today, comprising a conversation with Belden Lane, Presbyterian professor of theology at St. Louis University. Further details...