nunneries

Nunneries are religious houses in which women live a life of prayer, study, and service dedicated to God. They functioned much like male monasteries, providing a cloistered community for nuns. In English and some other European traditions, the term often refers to medieval or early modern houses of cloistered women, while modern institutions more commonly use the terms convent or abbey.

Historically, nunneries arose in the later Roman and medieval periods as part of the Christian church’s expansion. Communities were typically governed by an abbess or prioress and operated under a religious rule, such as Benedictine, Augustinian, or Cistercian guidelines. Daily life focused on liturgy—the canonical hours—alongside work such as teaching, manuscript production, nursing, agriculture, or charitable activity. Nuns often lived behind a choir screen and were expected to remain in close contact with the outside world only through approved channels or during certain periods.

Nunneries were supported by endowments of land, tithes, and donations. Their estates sustained the buildings, religious services, and charitable undertakings of the house, including education for girls and care for the poor. Architectural features commonly included a church or chapel, cloister, chapter house, dormitories, infirmary, and workrooms like a scriptorium or laundry.

Decline and modern status: in many regions, especially England, large numbers of nunneries were dissolved or repurposed during the Reformation. Today, surviving nunneries often remain active as convents within Catholic or Anglican communities, while others have become museums or historic sites. The term “nunnery” is largely historical, with contemporary houses typically described as convents or abbeys.