Karthuizers

Karthuizers is a term used to refer to the Carthusian Order, a Catholic monastic order renowned for its contemplative, cloistered way of life. The spelling appears in certain languages and historical texts; in English the order is usually called the Carthusians or the Carthusian Order. The name is linked to Chartreuse, the region and the name of the mother house where the order was founded, and to the term charterhouse, used for Carthusian monasteries.

The order was founded in 1084 by Saint Bruno of Cologne, with the Grande Chartreuse in the Chartreuse Mountains near Grenoble, France, serving as its mother house. The aim was to pursue a life of contemplative prayer in a wordly detached, austere setting. The Carthusians developed a distinctive model in which monks live largely in individual cells for long periods, combining solitude with communal liturgy and occasional group work.

Life in a Carthusian monastery is highly structured around silence, prayer, and manual labor. Members take vows of stability (staying in a single house for life), fidelity to the monastic rule, and obedience. The order emphasizes eremitic and cenobitic elements, with each monk maintaining personal space while participating in the common rhythm of the charterhouse. Governance centers on a Prior at the house level, with an overall head known as the Prior General at the global level.

Today, the Carthusians remain a small, cloistered order with a limited number of houses in Europe and beyond. They focus on contemplative life rather than active missionary work, contributing to scholarship, liturgical preservation, and spiritual guidance within the bounds of their austere discipline. In several languages, including Dutch, karthuizers is used to designate these monks.