The word monastery comes from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος – monasterios from μονάζειν – monazein "to live alone" from the root μόνος – monos "alone" (originally all Christian monks were

• Mor Gabriel Monastery was founded in 397 by Mor Shmu'el and his student Mor Shem'un.
• The Mor Hananyo Monastery, one of the many monasteries of Mount Izla
• Monastery of Saint Athanasius, Bulgaria, was the first Christian monastery established in Europe in

Jainism, founded by Mahavira circa 570 BC, had its own monasteries since 5th century BC.

In most religions, the life inside monasteries is governed by community rules that stipulate the gender of the inhabitants and require

• Part of Ganden Monastery, Tibet in 1921. Tsongkhapa's tomb is in the center left.
• Thiksey Monastery in Ladakh, India

Advaita Vedanta
From the times of the Vedas (from circa 1500-1000 BC), people following monastic ways of life have existed

Islam discourages monasticism, which is referred to in the Quran as "an invention". However, the term "Sufi" is applied to Muslim mystics who, as a means of achieving union with Allah, adopted ascetic practices including wearing a garment made of coarse