Andrew Jotischky is professor of medieval history at Royal Holloway, University of London. An expert in medieval religion and culture, he is the author of The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World, Crusading and the Crusader States, and The Carmelites and Antiquity.
“A fine scholarly guide to the origins, growth and flourishing of the myriad forms of Christian ascetic life that dominated both Western and Eastern Christianity for a millennium and which still form a vital part of the Church’s religious experience.”—Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church, University of Oxford “An accessible and compelling exploration of medieval monasticism that asks fundamental questions about the role of monasteries in medieval culture and argues for their relevance to modern societies.”—Janet Burton, author of Medieval Monasticism “Clear and compelling…Deeply learned yet welcoming to general readers, this book presents a holistic picture of medieval ascetic practices from Syria to Ireland in all of their dizzying variety over the course of the medieval millennium.”—Scott G. Bruce, author of Cluny and the Muslims of La Garde-Freinet