From Monachos.net
In the Orthodox Christian tradition, monasticism has more than once been called the 'barometer of the spiritual life of the Church.' So great has the influence of and appreciation for this institution been that its life and status have been equated with those of the Church as a whole: the state in which the monastics existed, so existed the Church.
That so great an influence would be granted to the monastic life bespeaks something of the great importance in which it is viewed by the Church. Monasticism is not just a 'part' of the greater scope of Orthodox life; it is the very centre and heart of the Church, out of which all other aspects of her life are born and grow. The monastics (both men and women) are those who choose to follow with singular devotion and obedience the call of Christ, who live the life of the Church in its fullest and most authentic sense. They are thus the models in which the Church sees her perfect icon: a communion of souls wholly living the Christian life.
It is said that monasticism is 'built in' to humanity, that a nature which has been torn from the intimate communion with its Creator for which it was created, naturally longs to return to that better state. The outward expression of monasticism—the life set apart, the rigorous asceticism—are all but manifestations of that deep inward desire of the human soul to unite itself to God through Christ.
Christian monasticism appears to have taken its practical roots in the early fourth century, though there is clear evidence that individuals were living austere solitary and ascetic lives long before this date. Yet it was in this era that St Antony of Egypt (icon above, right) lived and had his story recorded by St Athanasius (icon at left), bishop of Alexandria, in the classic text, the Life of St Antony of Egypt. This book recorded Antony's departure into the solitary deserts of Egypt to live a life wholly devoted to God, modeled on a daily routine of prayer and manual labour. What St Antony did for the solitary life, so did St Pachomius do for the communal (in Greek, cenobitic) monastic life. They were two manifestations of a lifestyle that spread throughout the Christian world like wildfire. Within the lifetimes of these two great founders, thousands of men and women began fleeing the cities for the solitude of the desert, and the modern conception of the monastic life was born.
That life has continued throughout the whole of Christian history, giving rise to many great saints—both men and women—who modeled a life of devotion to and union with Christ (St Mary of Egypt, a remarkable ascetic, is pictured at right). And it continues today, in the ongoing monastic life of the Orthodox Church throughout the world. As it has been for over a thousand years, Mount Athos (the 'Holy Mountain') in Greece serves as the spiritual centre of Orthodox monasticism, which reaches into the furthest corners of the globe. In these monasteries, from the greatest lavra to the most humble of hermitages, the life of Christ continues to become, day by day, the life of man.