Questions of Monastic Identity in Medieval Southern Italy and Sicily (c. 500–1200)
Valérie Ramseyer
Monasticism in medieval southern Italy and Sicily has often been described using binary terms such as Greek/Latin, East/West, Basilian/Benedictine, anchoritic/cenobitic. As a border region between the Carolingian Byzantine empires, an area where both Greek Latin were used liturgical languages, it is all too easy to view this part of Europe place “Eastern” “Western” practices met mixed, creating hybrid type monasticism that can seem strange historians alike. Yet use categories Latin, East West causes be viewed from point other traditions. It ignores indigenous customs, seeing everything import somewhere else. also masks diversity monastic lifestyles characteristic region, which included wandering ascetics, cloistered monks, household religious, solitary hermits, cave monasticism. Finally, paints static area’s monasticism, instead was dynamic phenomenon owing constant influx new peoples novel religious
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