Monachology of Russian monastery on Athos. Volume 3. Ch. Macarius (Makienko), Hieromonk

In the Christ Church, from the very first times of its existence on earth, there were people who, for the sake of pleasing God and the salvation of their souls from worldly temptations, were retired to life in deaf and secluded places. There, some of them gathered together in separate communities, built their dwellings, and with them small temples, developed charters and, acting on these charters, tried to achieve high improvement and holiness with their virtuous life.

Such people were called hermits, ascetics, monks, anachorets, deserters and the like names, depending on where the hermits lived and how much they were gathered together. The hermits spent most of the time in prayer to God. They prayed not only for themselves, but also for their brothers by faith, Christians living throughout the world. For this, for their part, their worldly brothers brought them everything they needed for their hermit life, as much as anyone could, in their state and zeal. So it was in the ancient Christian Church.

So it came to us, came to our time. And now we have monasteries, laurels, monastery and other monastic settlements, in which there live hermits who, praying for themselves, pray for their worldly brothers, from whose voluntary sacrifice they live and use everything necessary for life.