Ages 7 to 14 years. Most people in Western Europe during the Middle Ages were Christians. Medieval Christians believed that if they led good lives, according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, they would be rewarded in Heaven after they died. This book sheds light on some of the mystery surrounding the lives of medieval monks and nuns. Children will discover why people entered the monastery, they vows they took, and how they filled their days and nights in isolation from the outside world. Topics include: the different customs of the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches; major events in history such as Anthony the Hermit, Egypt s first Buddhist monk; the daily schedules of monks and nuns in the Benedictine Monastery; the jobs of monks and nuns, including the special responsibilities of abbots and abbesses, sacristans, and almoners; the sets of rules and founders of different orders of Christian monks and nuns, such as Cistercians, Mendicant Friars, and Dominicans.