Informational Articals - Nuns - Medieval Nuns

Medieval nuns date back to 529 AD during the time of Benedictine Rule. While there were many different classifications of Medieval Nuns they were all held to very high standards. They had God and Faith to lead their life instead of the items many of us consider to be necessary to fill our lives to the fullest. During that time there was no individuality allowed for the Nuns to exhibit. Doing so resulted in the Nun being strictly disciplined or even exiled for their behaviors.

One of the reasons why many Medieval Nuns were defiant is that they were not their by choice. It was quite common for families to decide to send their daughters to a convent. Many widows joined as well because they had no way to care for themselves after the death of their spouse in the outside world. These women were given one year to learn the rules of the convent and to show that they were ready to take the vows to become a Nun.

Even so there is plenty of records from the time of Medieval Nuns that indicate the Vow of Chastity wasn’t always followed. Several of the Nuns were asked to leave the convent after becoming pregnant. Some women who wanted to leave the convent would pretend to be pregnant or begin to mutilate their body which was a sign that they were possessed by evil.

The ceremony for becoming a Medieval Nun was very similar to an actual wedding ceremony because the women were said to be married to God. They were given a wedding ring to wear as a continuous reminder of this relationship. During this ceremony each Medieval Nun had to take the Vow of Poverty, the Vow of Chastity, and the Vow of Obedience.

The life of a Medieval Nun was quite difficult yet many women chose it on their own. Most Nuns in this time period did not receive any time of education. Very few of them knew how to read or write. The ones who did know how to read often read scriptures to the other Nuns. They were also given jobs copying manuscripts for hours each day. The other Nuns had to work hard as well growing food and making clothing. Each convent was responsible for being self sufficient so that they did not need to depend on the outside world for anything.