The father of western monasticism is considered to be St Anthony of Egypt, who was born in the 3rd century. He was the son of wealthy parents and inherited their money when he was only 20 years of age. However, he did not care for possessions and for 15 years went to live with various ascetics who lived on the outskirts of towns. At the age of 35 he went to live a solitary life in the desert near the present day Der el Memum. He gained a reputation for wisdom and holiness, attracting several people who wanted him to form a community of ascetics. In 305AD, the group formed what may be called the first Christian monastery with Anthony as its first leader (abbot - a derivation of the word 'ABBA' meaning 'father', or more accurately 'daddy'). In around 340AD, 2 of Anthony's disciples brought monasticism to Europe. Check out these websites: http://newadvent.org/cathen/01553d.htm http://newadvent.org/cathen/10459a.htm
Benedict
I'm not sure I can verify that it is the "first ever" monastery, but I do know that it is widely accepted that St. Anthony is the father of Christian monasticism. His followers founded the Monastery of St. Anthony in Egypt in 356 CE.
saint benedict
St. Kevin
Saint Kevin of Ireland.
the vikings first raided the monastery of lindersfarne.
He attended a school that his uncle founded. It was a monastery.
Clunian
There were a group of French monks who had started a new monastery in the town of Cluny. They followed a strict schedule of prayers and religious services. The monastery was called the Cluny Monastery.
There were a group of French monks who had started a new monastery in the town of Cluny. They followed a strict schedule of prayers and religious services. The monastery was called the Cluny Monastery.
Direct quote from the Wikipedia article... "...first monastery was founded in 657 AD..." see related link for the full text.
Monte Casisno was his first monastery.