It is commonly understood the old monastic order in England confronted the King’s Reformation unreformed: the houses of the Benedictines, Cistercians and Cluniacs were seemingly untouched by the spirit of renewal that charged continental congregations in the conciliar era, and their conventional patterns of observant life persisted in the face of a fast-changing world beyond the precinct walls. James Clark reexamines this view.
Image courtesy of interviewee. March 1, 2024