Early Double Monasteries / A Paper read before the Heretics' Society on December 6th, 1914

The paper traces the practice of mixed-sex monastic communities from early Christian monasticism, defining double monasteries as distinct men's and women's establishments under one institution, usually highly segregated and often governed by an abbess. It surveys eastern origins where brothers and sisters founded parallel houses across rivers, shared a common rule and reciprocal labor, and western developments with rules emphasizing instruction, liturgy, textile and domestic work, and care for the sick. The author discusses organizational variants, economic interdependence, attached schools, and debated motives for the arrangement, ranging from spiritual discipline to practical needs for clerical ministry.