konventit

Konventit is a Finnish term that refers to either a religious community and its house, or to a governing assembly within a religious order. Etymologically it derives from the Latin conventus, meaning an assembly or gathering, and has been used in European church contexts for centuries.

As a community and house, konventti denotes a group of monks or nuns living according to a rule and engaging in prayer, work, and contemplation within a church building or monastery complex. In many traditions, the konventti is organized around shared vows, daily routines, and communal decision making, with facilities for worship, study, and hospitality.

As an organizational gathering, konventti can also mean the chapter or general meeting of an order or religious community. Such konventit are occasions for electing leadership, revising constitutions, managing finances, and addressing doctrinal or disciplinary matters. The term is closely related to other historical notions of monastic governance, and parallels exist with terms like chapter or convent in other languages.

Historically in Finland and much of Europe, konventit were central to medieval and early modern religious life, especially within Catholic communities. The Protestant Reformation led to substantial changes: many convent houses were dissolved, repurposed, or secularized, though some survived as charitable institutions, schools, or parish foundations. Today, the use of konventti persists mainly in historical references and in the names of surviving religious communities within certain denominations.