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Monasticism is a way of life that officially appeared in the 4th century CE, when many faithful people devoted to God lived a "rigorous" life. However, the cruel persecutions of the Roman emperors in the middle of the 3rd and early 4th centuries CE. was the main reason for developing and shaping a life of solitude. The father of monasticism was Saint Anthony and other important figures in the history of monasticism were Saint Pachomios and Saint Basil the Great. Monasticism from its birth to its final form has gone through several phases, with the most important being the devotional or hermitage existence form i.e. the Lavra's solitary system, the communal system and the peculiar unique system. A life of solitude as a devotional choice began in Egypt and developed in many other places, inter alia, Palestine, Syria, Constantinople and Mount Athos. Through the organization of a communal but solitary life, one’s longevity was acquired under certain conditions and a special festive ceremony was attended by the monk in which there was a triple promise of virginity, chastity and obedience. The twenty-four hours of a monk’s life were, and still are, divided into three eight hour periods (prayer, rest and work). Another characteristic that we find since the first years of the existence of monasticism is the notion of charity. Finally, it is worth mentioning that in many monasteries there were scriptorial centers where there was dedication to copying the Holy Scriptures and the classics of antiquity, thus saving much of our patristic texts and classical heritage for posterity. Also artistic works such as Byzantine paintings, iconography, poetry, sculpture and music were cultivated and flourished in many monasteries such as those at Mount Athos in Greece, and Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt.