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Actually it seems to be a growing industry: monasteries are opening up their rooms to paying guests. We stayed in one in Italy recently, south of Napoli. It wa

Actually it seems to be a growing industry: monasteries are opening up their rooms to paying guests. We stayed in one in Italy recently, south of Napoli. It was like a very, very quiet hotel with a peaceful garden and a resident cat. I'd have happily stayed longer. I was also in one last year in Belgium, it was part of a larger church establishment but the location was so central it was like staying in a nice hotel. Again - quiet. Both were without luxuries of a 4 star hotel but very well appointed and with excellent breakfasts, and locations.

magduf 7y ago
>It was like a very, very quiet hotel with a peaceful garden and a resident cat. The cat is a great selling point. They should make sure to point that out on their webpage; it'd be a bonus point for me. I stayed at an AirBnB residence in Germany when I traveled there, and they had a bunch of cats. Getting to talk to a local, and have cats around, was a nice experience. >Both were without luxuries of a 4 star hotel but very well appointed and with excellent breakfasts, and locations. 4-star hotels don't have cats, so that's a negative when comparing them to places like this.
tathougies 7y ago
Monasteries have always opened their rooms to guests. Its part of the rule of Benedict to offer hospitality, including food.
- idoubtit 7y ago
  You seem to have missed an important word in the grand poster's story: monasteries are opening up their rooms to paying guests. Sanctus Benedictus never set any rule about renting rooms and selling breakfasts. By the way, monasteries existed long before the Benedict order, and other orders existed in parallel. Some monasteries did not welcome visitors, especially women and couples.
  - tathougies 7y ago
    > especially women and couples. You're making this seem misogynistic, but indeed, typically female monasteries were not (and are still not) open to men. You're not wrong I was incomplete in my previous statement. Monasteries would often try to render assistance to the exceptionally needy, but have historically operated as regular inns only for those who could stay within the convent walls. This was basically restricted by sex. Even today, if you're going to do a retreat at a monastery, couples typically would have to stay away from the cloister (many monasteries - but not all - offering retreats typically have a separate house for these individuals, a short distance from the main cloister). Only single men would be permitted into a male monastery (behind the cloister for the night) and single women to a female one. Re the paying stuff. As far as I'm aware (and I've researched a few monasteries in my area and know several monks), the payment is a suggested donation, not a requirement. Of course, that's my own anecdata. I would be interested in knowing if there is a monastery charging for the actual stay, because typically they're not supposed to.

magduf 7y ago

>It was like a very, very quiet hotel with a peaceful garden and a resident cat. The cat is a great selling point. They should make sure to point that out on their webpage; it'd be a bonus point for me. I stayed at an AirBnB residence in Germany when I traveled there, and they had a bunch of cats. Getting to talk to a local, and have cats around, was a nice experience. >Both were without luxuries of a 4 star hotel but very well appointed and with excellent breakfasts, and locations. 4-star hotels don't have cats, so that's a negative when comparing them to places like this.

tathougies 7y ago

Monasteries have always opened their rooms to guests. Its part of the rule of Benedict to offer hospitality, including food.

idoubtit 7y ago
You seem to have missed an important word in the grand poster's story: monasteries are opening up their rooms to paying guests. Sanctus Benedictus never set any rule about renting rooms and selling breakfasts. By the way, monasteries existed long before the Benedict order, and other orders existed in parallel. Some monasteries did not welcome visitors, especially women and couples.
- tathougies 7y ago
  > especially women and couples. You're making this seem misogynistic, but indeed, typically female monasteries were not (and are still not) open to men. You're not wrong I was incomplete in my previous statement. Monasteries would often try to render assistance to the exceptionally needy, but have historically operated as regular inns only for those who could stay within the convent walls. This was basically restricted by sex. Even today, if you're going to do a retreat at a monastery, couples typically would have to stay away from the cloister (many monasteries - but not all - offering retreats typically have a separate house for these individuals, a short distance from the main cloister). Only single men would be permitted into a male monastery (behind the cloister for the night) and single women to a female one. Re the paying stuff. As far as I'm aware (and I've researched a few monasteries in my area and know several monks), the payment is a suggested donation, not a requirement. Of course, that's my own anecdata. I would be interested in knowing if there is a monastery charging for the actual stay, because typically they're not supposed to.