Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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LAURA

A series of hermitages clustered around a monastery. Also the type of life lived by monks in those hermitages or even the shops along a street in the neighborhood of a monastery. The monks in a laura lived in their own cells and came together at given times for special duties, which made it a combination of eremitical and community life. Although most lauras have disappeared, one of the best known in modern times is connected with the Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos.