Monahismul în Britania anglo-saxonă, în secolul al VII-lea

Abstract

The development of monasticism in Britain on two fronts was an interesting feature. Pope Gregory the Great brought missionaries from Rome to the southern region, where they started their work in the kingdom of Kent. From there, the Roman tradition of Christianity flourished into the other kingdoms of England. The first to arrive in the north were the Iona-based Celtic missionaries. This meant that two distinct monastic traditions were being promoted throughout Britain by two different missionary groups.
It is almost impossible to pinpoint how or when structured monasticism spread to the smaller island because the Roman Empire never reached Ireland, which is the fundamental reason why the Celtic and Roman traditions diverge from one another.
The Celtic tradition in Britain and its monasticism continued after the Council of Whitby in 664, which adjourned in favor of the Roman tradition. Iona and Lindisfarne are two examples of Celtic monasteries in northern Britain that kept fast to their beliefs for a long time.