sketes

A skete is a type of Christian monastic community that sits between eremitic solitude and full cenobitic monastery life. The name comes from the Greek skētē, meaning a place of retreat or a hermit’s cell. Sketes emerged in late antiquity within the broader traditions of Eastern Christian monasticism, where monks living in isolated cells near a shared church could combine private prayer with periodic communal worship and support.

In a typical skete, monks reside in individual hermitages, small houses, or cells arranged around a central church or chapel. They follow a schedule of daily prayer, often including the canonical hours, and engage in regular labor, study, and spiritual guidance under an abbot or elder. Communal meals and occasions for liturgical participation occur at intervals, reinforcing communal bonds while preserving a largely solitary rhythm of life. Leadership and oversight are usually provided by a parent monastery or a senior monk who acts as spiritual father to the community.

Historically, sketes served as transitional forms between solitary asceticism and the more centralized life of a monastery. They allowed monks to sustain a degree of independence and personal discernment while remaining within the framework of Orthodox monastic rules and discipline. In the present day, sketes continue to function in various Orthodox regions, notably in Greece and the Balkans, and within Mount Athos, where several skete communities maintain long-standing religious and cultural traditions.

Overall, sketes represent a distinctive monastic mode that emphasizes disciplined prayer, personal cell life, and intermittent communal worship, balancing solitude with shared spiritual life.