Keyword Monastery

Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold turn the clock back 500 years to the early Tudor period to become tenant farmers on monastery land.

What is happening today in European monasteries? Why do young people leave the “normal” world to devote their lives to spirituality? Let's embark on a journey to discover the sources of Europe and share the life of monastic communities from Ireland to Russia and from Greece to Germany.

Five men of varied backgrounds and faiths struggling to find their way—a former gang member, a recovering alcoholic, a cynic, a former Marine and an aspiring Episcopal priest—take a leap of faith and join a Benedictine monastery for 40 days. For the duration of their stay, they agree to the monastery’s strict rules and regimen of prayer, study, reflection and manual labor set out by St. Benedict 1,500 years ago — a regimen that the monks believe, if followed correctly, can transform lives.