Monasteries and Urban Space in Medieval Welsh Towns

Since those men and women who entered the enclosure of the monastery had to end their secular existence in favour of a focus on contemplation and meditation, allowing their souls to recognise and approach God – a process which required the seclusion of the community and the segregation of the individual from the world and its concerns – monastic life was not suited to the urban environment. This is why, strictly speaking, religious houses in centres of population represent a contradiction of the monastic ideal. Nevertheless, there was hardly a medieval town without a regular religious institution, and the contradiction