The Caloyers (, ''kalos ghérôn'', "good old men"),
καλόγερος
"

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. also spelled Calogers or Calogeri, were

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s who followed the rule of Saint Basil. Both male and female, they inhabited

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

(only men), and disseminated throughout many of the churches of the East. They lived either in monasteries, as at Mount Athos and

Meteora The Meteora (; , ) is a rock formation in the regional unit of Trikala, in Thessaly, in northwestern Greece, hosting one of the most prominent complexes of Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox monastery, monasteries, viewed locally as se ...

or insulated in

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

ages, devoted to

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

. There was never any reform among them; they retained their original institution and former habits, with minute exactness. Tavernier observed that they lived an isolated, austere life, eating no meat, and maintained four

lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

s, besides numerous other fasts, with great strictness: they ate no food till they had earned it by the labor of their hands. During their lents, some did not eat more than once in three days, others only twice in seven. They were divided into three ranks or degrees: the novices, called ''Archari''; the moderately accomplished, called ''Microschemi'' (Μικρόσχημοι); and the perfect, called ''Megaloschemi'' (μεγαλόσχημοι). This last rank was divided into the following: '' Coenobites'', who spent the day reciting their offices, from midnight to sunset; ''

Anchorites In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress); () is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. Anchorites are frequ ...

'', who left the community to live alone, only going outside on Sundays and holidays to perform devotions at monasteries; and '' Recluses'', who lived alone in grottos and caverns, on the mountains, and survived on

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving. Etymology The word ''alms'' come ...

furnished to them by the monasteries.

References

Sources

* McClintock, John and James Strong. "Caloyers". ''Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological & Ecclesiastical Literature''. Baker Academic. 1982. . * Gardner, James. ''Faiths of the World''. Kessinger Publishing. 2003.
Page 248
* Webster, Noah. ''American Dictionary of the English Language''. 1828. * {{1728, title=Caloyers Christian ascetics History of Eastern Orthodoxy in Greece Greek Christian monks Mount Athos

See also

References

Sources