Monasticism emerged from a deep impulse to withdraw—a radical pursuit of spirituality and transcendence. The word itself comes from the Greek μόνος (mónos), meaning “alone,” reflecting the ideal of the holy hermit who retreats from the world to dedicate life entirely to the divine. By the late 3rd century, in Egypt and Palestine, the first Christian monks began to follow this path, creating ways of life that would later give rise to a distinct architecture centered on seclusion.
Centuries later, however, this legacy faces an uncertain fate. With the decline of religious vocations from the 1960s onward, countless convents and monasteries were sold, destroyed, or repurposed as hotels, cultural centers, or residences. Even the few that maintain their original function often lack structural updates to meet contemporary needs. In this context, architecture assumes a crucial role: how can these spaces be renovated and reused without becoming mere sets, stripped of the spirituality and memory that once defined them?
