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Life of a Nun

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Life of a Nun
Life of a Nun in the Middle Ages
The daily life of Medieval nuns in the Middle Ages were based on the three main vows:
 The Vow of Poverty
 The Vow of Chastity
 The Vow of Obedience
Medieval nuns chose to renounce all worldly life and goods and spend their lives working under the strict routine and discipline of life in a Medieval Convent or Nunnery. The reasons for becoming a nun, their clothes and the different orders are detailed in Medieval Nuns and Nuns Clothes in the Middle Ages. This section specifically applies to the daily life of the nuns.
The Life of Medieval Nuns
The life of Medieval nuns was dedicated to worship, reading, and working in the convent or nunnery. In addition to their attendance at church, the nuns spent several hours in private prayer, and meditation. Women were not usually well educated during the Middle Ages although some nuns were taught to read and write. The convents and nunneries provided the only source of education for women during the Middle Ages although the knowledge the nuns were provided with was carefully screened by the Church hierarchy. The life of medieval nuns were filled with the following work and chores:
 Washing and cooking for the monastery
 Raising the necessary supplies of vegetables and grain
 Producing wine, ale and honey
 Providing medical care for the community
 Providing education for novices
 Spinning, weaving and embroidery
 Illuminating manuscripts
Not all nuns were given hard, manual work. Women who came from wealthy backgrounds were invariably given lighter work and spent time on such tasks as spinning and embroidery. There were also lay sisters who were female members of the convent or nunnery who were not bound to the recitation of the divine office and spent their time occupied in manual work.
The Daily Life of Medieval Nuns - Jobs and Occupations in the convent or nunnery
The daily life of Medieval nuns included many different jobs and occupations. The names and



Cited: Page 1. "Christian Nuns." Kedepede. 23 Sept. 2008 <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/people/nuns.htm>. 2. "Daily Life of a Nun in the Middle Ages." 23 Sept. 2008 <http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/daily-life-nun-middle-ages.htm>. 3. "Monks and Nuns of the Middle Ages." 23 Sept. 2008 <http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/ma/1lisa.htm>.

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