The Carthusians are the Catholic order of hermit/monks who are known for the liquer that they manufacture, called Chartreuse. The Carthusians are hermits who live in community; each monk spends around 20 hours per day in an apartment-like cell, and the other few hours are taken up with a daily Mass and a few other functions. The Carthusian spends most of his time in prayer, but also working, either at a craft, gardening (each cell has an enclosed, private garden) or, if he has no skill at a craft, at processing firewood. They have almost no contact with the world outside the Charterhouse (the name for a monastery of Carthusians), and their devotion to their way of life is so unswerving that the order has never had to be reformed since it was first begun by Bruno in 1084 - - over 900 years.
Anyone wanting to see how Carthusians live should watch the documentary Into Great Silence. The filmmaker had to wait over a decade for the Carthusians to decide whether to allow him to film them going about their daily life. Filmed without extra lighting or special effects, what you see is basically what life is like inside a Charterhouse. Warning: 9 out of 10 people will be bored to tears by this movie.
1 comment:
They DO take their vows seriously...
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