MONASTIC ARCHITECTURE. East The Buddhist priests' monasteries, known as viharas, either adjoined or were in cluded in the chaitya-house (building surround ing the shrine). The most ancient monasteries are no longer in existence, but we know that the Jetavana monastery of Srivasti in the 5th century a.n. had splendid buildings seven stories high. The existing ancient monasteries are those cut into the living rock. Of these perhaps the following are of greatest interest: Those on the hills of the Upper Godaveri River, at Nasik; the Gautama-putra monastery ("Cave III"), be longing to the 2d century A.D. One of the grandest extant monastic structures is the Mahayana chaitya of Ajanta, but the magnifi cent chaitya-house at Karle carved in the rocks of the Western Ghats, between Bombay and Poona, is considered to show the Hinayana School in its best light. The Buddhist rock cut vibara at Bedsa, a 2d century B.c. work, has its cells round a chaitya-house, an apse around the chaitya and the usual barrel roof. The usual form of Indian monastery consisted of rows of cells ranged about the shrine, which was surmounted by its heavy mound (stupa). The architectural plan somewhat resembles the basilica with its interior lined with pillars and the shrine located in the domed extremity 'site the facade. The style of the Ora vi'ian religious edifice, with its pyramid crowned gateway (gopura), choultries, etc., belongs to the subject Architecture. See AacfirrEcTuaz—Sasanian and Mohammedan.
Eastern early Basilian monks attempted no special style or application of architecture, using the Byzantine, Greek or Eastern plans as best suited for their alloca tions. From 306 to 322 the ascetics were with drawing in bodies to the deserts, and under such leaders as Paul, Anthony and Pachomius, they, established monasteries. To such belong those of Mount Athos (Rumelia), others in the Balkans, in Armenia, the Libyan Desert ("Coptic"). Many of these "Levantine" mon asteries were devoid of all external architecture, rendered as inconspicuous as possible to avoid drawing the attention of the passing marauding bands of natives. They were usually sur rounded by a high blank wall. The 4th and 5th century monasteries established under Pacho mius rule in the Libyan Desert had small buildings, called /aura, which contained sepa rate cells, known in their combination as canobia, the dwellers thereby being called Camobites. They were governed by an abbas (father), hegumenos (leader), or archimand rste (superintendent).
Western
Benedictine Monasteries. — Saint Benedict published his
Cistercian Monasteries.— While the Benedic tines aimed at richness in architectural effect, especially in their church edifices, the Cister cians held to strict simplicity. Their mother monastery was at Clairvaux, but the abbey of Maulbronn, Wiirttemberg, founded 1146 and finished in the 13th century, has come down to us in such a good state of preservation as to serve best for model. It is (according to periods of construction) in Late Romanesque, Transition and early Gothic. The cloister forms the central point connecting on the south with the church, on the east with the chapter house and on the north with the men's re fectory. To the west lies the lay refectory and, somewhat separate, we find the residence of the abbot and the farm buildings. When pressed for space the refectory served also as chapter-house, where the monks gathered daily to hear a chapter read from the 'Rules' and in which the more important affairs were dis cussed. The monks slept at first in a common dormitory but later received separate cells.; The dormitory was usually located in an upper story and the cell contained only a bedstead, table and stool and a window. The superiors, however, had more spacious and .better fur nished rooms.