Cloistered Life

by Michelle Cassidy

34 Places

Agion Oros, Greece

Hermitages of Karoulia

The hermits of Karoulia protect their asocial lifestyles by living on the vertical face of a treacherous precipice.

stkaratzas

Added by stkaratzas

Agion Oros, Greece

Mount Athos

An autonomous republic of Orthodox monks.

stanestane

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Vleteren, Belgium

Westvleteren

Stocking up on the world's best beer requires a pilgrimage to a monastery drive-through.

Sam OBrien

Added by Sam OBrien

Gannan Zangzuzizhizhou, China

Labrang Meditation Huts

These picturesque structures speckle the hill above the monastery.

Max Cortesi

Added by Max Cortesi

Dale Abbey, England

Hermits Cave at Dale Abbey

Inspired by a dream, a hermit carved out a home in this sandstone bank to live a life of contemplation and prayer.

Dr Alan P Newman

Added by Dr Alan P Newman

San Romedio Sanctuary

A stunning hermit's shrine on a steep rocky spur in Northern Italy.

Vid Pogacnik

Added by Vid Pogacnik

Herzliya, Israel

The Hermit House

This marvelous work of outsider architecture is built into the cliffs of an Israeli beach.

Dror

Jinan-gun, South Korea

Tapsa Temple

120 mortarless pagodas built by one Korean hermit.

serflac

Added by serflac

Santa Pau, Spain

Hermitage of Santa Margarita Crater

Religious dwelling in a Spanish volcano.

serflac

Added by serflac

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Spain

Gaztelugatxe

Hundreds of stone stairs and a winding medieval bridge connect this haunting Spanish island to the mainland.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Skellig Michael

Perfectly preserved ancient monastery in an impossibly dramatic location on a rocky island in the Atlantic.

Added by humanist

Lovokomeio Leper Colony

An ambiguous ambience emanates from this centuries old leprosy quarantine.

Brištane, Croatia

Visovac Monastery

This picturesque medieval monastery guards a small trove of historic treasures.

mrmatej

Added by mrmatej

Roche Rock Hermitage

This ruined 15th-century hermitage is steeped in myth and mystery.

Melanie Xulu

Added by Melanie Xulu

Carrascal del Río, Spain

Hermitage of Saint Fructus

Medieval ruins nestled within a breathtaking swath of Spanish nature.

b2roam

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Hermitage of St. Albert Butrio

A beautiful chapel on the hills of the Oltrepò Pavese claims to house the tomb of King Edward II of England.

federicoarrigoni

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Saint-Pierre-Colamine, France

Jonas Caves

A cave dwelling that was started by the Celts, expanded by monks, and finished by knights.

philoursmars

Added by philoursmars

Nuévalos, Spain

Monasterio de Piedra

12th-century holy complex shares land with a natural park full of heavenly waterfalls and raptors.

Jose Manuel Couto

Added by Jose Manuel Couto

Craswall, England

Craswall Priory

Britain’s highest medieval monastery is a remote ruin nestled at the head of a valley 1,240 feet above the sea.

old1475

Added by old1475

Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati

A fortified medieval basilica on the Caelian Hill preserves extraordinary frescoes and one of Rome's most beautiful hidden cloisters.

LatiumMirabile

Added by LatiumMirabile

Žďár nad Sázavou, Czechia

Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk

The sanctuary holds what was once believed to be the saint's incorruptible tongue.

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Tomar, Portugal

Convento de Cristo

The medieval castle built as headquarters for the Pope's secretive Knights Templar.

pvilla

Added by pvilla

Kobayr Monastery

The ruins of a medieval monastery built on a perilous slope.

Max Cortesi

Added by Max Cortesi

Rilski manastir, Bulgaria

Rila Monastery

This historic black and white monastery is one of Bulgaria's architectural jewels.

dtheodora

Added by dtheodora

Katskhi, Georgia

Katskhi Pillar

Small church on top of a huge rock column.

Added by Tawsam

San Giovanni degli Eremiti

Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.

Joel Cusumano

Added by Joel Cusumano

Torre Annunziata, Italy

Rock of Rovigliano

This tiny islet has somehow housed an ancient temple, two monasteries, a church, a fortress, and a restaurant.

StepYoshi

Added by StepYoshi

Baku, Azerbaijan

Fire Temple of Baku

A shrine of fire worship built on top of a natural flame.

Added by Tawsam

Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, France

Grotto of Saint Genevieve

18th century underground pilgrimage site, dedicated to a Saint that did something...

Akazem

Added by Akazem

Kediri, Indonesia

Tanah Lot

Isolated atop this Balinese sea crag is a lovely Hindu temple that is said to be guarded by sea snakes.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Fanjingshan (Mount Fanjing)

Two ancient Buddhist temples crown this dramatic rocky pinnacle.

lewblank

Added by lewblank

North Miami Beach, Florida

The Cloisters of the Ancient Spanish Monastery

St Bernard de Clairvaux Episcopal Church, better known as one of the oldest European buildings in the Western Hemisphere.

rebeccaclara

Added by rebeccaclara

Coricancha

A Christian monastery stands on what was once a holy Incan temple.

micahspangler

Added by micahspangler

Bristol, England

Hermit's Cave and Quaker Burial Ground

A medieval cave used to shelter local hermits now holds nearly 200 old Quaker gravestones.

SEANETTA

Added by SEANETTA