A.Z Challenge 13: Monks and monasteries

I have always been fascinated by monks and monasteries. Many years ago, I read the novel The Name of The Rose by Umberto Eco. It takes place in an Italian monastery, and the heroes of the story are the Fransiscan monk William of Baskerville, and his novice Adso of Melk.

Some years later, I was in Vienna, Austria on vacation. I took the opportunity to visit the Melk Abbey. The monastery is an awesome building, on a hilltop by the river Danube. It takes an hour or two (if I remember correctly) by train westward from Vienna.

The monastery had a real Gutenberg Bible, printed by Johann himself, on exhibition in the museum. When we visited, there was a summer camp for kids going on. The boys were playing football outside the monastery, with a monk in black robes blowing the whistle as ref.

 

I find the life of a monk quite attractive, in some ways It would fit nicely with my introvert nature. I could enjoy hours and days in peaceful silence, studying books.

However, I also see a few problems. First, I would probably read the wrong books. Second, I don’t believe in God (most monks do). Third, the counter-natural obligation of the celibacy would probably drive me crazy.  I guess this happens to some monks from time to time.

Let me summarize it in this childish M-poem:

Meeting

Mary

Magdalene in the

Monastery is

Mecca for a

Monk  >;D