Nuns

Nuns are women who have dedicated themselves to religious life by taking vows in a Christian community. They usually belong to religious orders within the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions, though practices vary. Most nuns live in a convent or monastery, and may pursue cloistered contemplative life or active service in education, healthcare, or social work.

Common vows include poverty, chastity, and obedience; some communities also take stability (remaining in one convent) and conversion of life. They bind themselves to a rule of life and to a superior or abbess. Daily life typically includes communal prayer, liturgy, study, work, and periods of silence.

History and organization have shaped the nun’s role. Early Christian centuries saw women living in prayer communities; formalized nunneries arose in late antiquity and flourished in medieval Europe. Cloistered life became common, and nuns ran schools and hospitals as part of broader religious and social networks. The Protestant Reformation disrupted many convents, while Vatican II and later reforms in the Catholic Church expanded opportunities for women in religious life, though some orders remain cloistered.

Nuns belong to various orders or communities, each with its own charism, rules, and mission. The head of a women’s community is typically an abbess or prioress, chosen by the members. Nuns engage in education, healthcare, missionary work, social services, and pastoral care, depending on the order and its vocation. Attire traditionally included habits and veils; today many communities use simple dress, while others retain distinctive clothing as a symbol of their vows.