Papers from a symposium held at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum University of Minnesota March 10-12, 2000 The 17 papers here stem from a symposium held at the University of Minnesota in March, 2000. Visiting monastic sites of all periods, from Clonmacnoise in Ireland, to Mount Athos, to Old Dongola on the Nile, this collection of essays shows the many variations of religious community, and of material evidence and the ways to use it. The aim has been to illuminate basic (art and architectural) issues concerning monasteries as communities, or parts of communities, and the insights gained provoke thought about other monastic experiences, within and without the Christian tradition.