Although today's meaning is usually a place where a
hermitA hermit is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion from society....
lives in seclusion from the world,
hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.
A hermitage is a type of monastery. Typically it has a room, or at least a dedicated space, for religious devotion, very basic sleeping quarters and a domestic range, suitable for the ascetic way of living of the inhabitant.
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a
hermitA hermit is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion from society....
lives in seclusion from the world,
hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.
Western Christian Tradition
A hermitage is a type of monastery. Typically it has a room, or at least a dedicated space, for religious devotion, very basic sleeping quarters and a domestic range, suitable for the ascetic way of living of the inhabitant. Depending on the work of the hermit, premises such as a studio, workshop or chapel may be attached or sited in close proximity.
Traditionally hermitages have been located in caves and huts, often in the desert or woods, sometimes abutting monastery buildings of a cenobitic community when there was an exchange of labour and provisions. In medieval times they may have been endowed by the Lord or Lady of a manor in return for prayers for their family, or in city dwellings, e.g. inside the city gate as remuneration for services rendered as a gate keeper. In modern times they are to be found even in large cities and high-rise blocks of flats, depending of the hermit's means.
Poustinia
A
poustinia is a small sparsely furnished cabin or room where one goes to
prayPrayer in Christianity is the act of communicating with God, either in God's fullness or as one of the persons of the Trinity. Some Christian groups, such as Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans, will sometimes pray through intercessors, such as Mary or other saints...
and fast alone in the presence of God. The word
poustinia has its origin in the
RussianRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
word for
desertA desert is a landscape or region that receives almost no precipitation. Deserts are defined as areas with an average annual precipitation of less than per year, or as areas where more water is lost by evapotranspiration than falls as precipitation. In the Köppen climate classification system,...
.
Ashram
In
HinduismHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
, a hermitage is called an
AshramTraditionally, an ashram is a religious hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
. Traditionally, an ashram in ancient
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
was a place where sages lived in
peacePeace is commonly understood as the absence of hostility, or the existence of healthy or newly-healed interpersonal or international relationships, safety in matters of social or economic welfare, the acknowledgment of equality and fairness in political relationships and, in world matters,...
and tranquility amidst
natureNature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
..
See also
- Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a religious hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
- Catherine Doherty
Catherine Doherty, CM was a social activist and foundress of the Madonna House Apostolate. A pioneer of social justice and a renowned national speaker, Catherine was also a prolific writer of hundreds of articles, best-selling author of dozens of books, and a dedicated wife and mother...
- Desert Fathers
The Desert Fathers were Hermits, Ascetics and Monks who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt, beginning around the third century. They were the first Christian hermits, who abandoned the cities of the pagan world to live in solitude. These original desert hermits were Christians fleeing the...
- Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion from society....
- Hesychasm
Hesychasm is an eremitic tradition of prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and some other Eastern Churches of the Byzantine Rite, practised by the Hesychast Hesychasm is an eremitic tradition of prayer in the Eastern Orthodox...
- Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer or "The Prayer" , also called the Prayer of the Heart and "Prayer of the Mind " , is a short, formulaic prayer often uttered repeatedly. It has been widely used, taught and discussed throughout the history of the Eastern Churches...
- Madonna House Apostolate
The Madonna House Apostolate is a Catholic Christian community of lay men, women, and priests who claim themselves to be dedicated to loving and serving Jesus Christ. It was founded in 1947 by Catherine Doherty in Combermere, Ontario and has established missionary field houses...
- Monastery
- Poustinia
A poustinia is a small sparsely furnished cabin or room where one goes to pray and fast alone in the presence of God. The word poustinia has its origin in the Russian word for desert...
External links