Canon 20 No new double monasteries are to be founded

Κανόνες τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ Ἁγίας καὶ Οἰκουμενικῆς Ζ´ Συνόδου

The Seventh Ecumenical Council · Nicaea, 787 · convened by the empress Irene and the emperor Constantine VI · Seventh Ecumenical Council: Nicaea II (787) on the map

We decree that from now on no double monastery be made, because this becomes a scandal and a stumbling-block to the many. And if some choose, with their kinsfolk, to renounce and to follow the monastic life, the men must go off to a men's monastery, and the women enter a women's monastery; for in this God is well pleased. And those that are double until now, let them continue according to the canon of our holy Father Basil, and according to his ordinance let them be regulated thus: Let monks and nuns not live in one monastery; for adultery intervenes in living together. Let a monk not have freedom to converse privately with a nun, or a nun with a monk; nor let a monk sleep in a women's monastery; nor let a nun eat with him alone. And when the necessities of life are carried from the men's part to the canonesses, let the abbess of the women's monastery receive them outside the gate, with some aged nun. And if it happens that a monk wishes to see some kinswoman, in the presence of the abbess let him converse with her in few and brief words, and let him withdraw from her quickly.

Ἀπὸ τοῦ παρόντος ὁρίζομεν, μὴ γίνεσθαι διπλοῦν μοναστήριον, ὅτι σκάνδαλον καὶ πρόσκομμα τοῖς πολλοῖς γίνεται τοῦτο. Εἰ δέ τινες μετὰ συγγενῶν προαιροῦνται ἀποτάξασθαι, καὶ τῷ μονήρει βίῳ κατακολουθεῖν, τοὺς μὲν ἄνδρας δεῖ ἀπιέναι εἰς ἀνδρῷον μοναστήριον, τὰς δὲ γυναῖκας εἰσιέναι ἐν γυναικείῳ μοναστηρίῳ· ἐπὶ τούτῳ γὰρ εὐαρεστεῖται ὁ Θεός. Τὰ δὲ ὄντα ἕως τοῦ νῦν διπλᾶ κρατείτωσαν, κατὰ τὸν κανόνα τοῦ ἁγίου Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Βασιλείου, καὶ κατὰ τὴν διαταγὴν αὐτοῦ, οὕτω διατυπούσθωσαν· Μὴ διαιτάσθωσαν δὲ ἐν ἑνὶ μοναστηρίῳ μοναχοί, καὶ μονάστριαι· μοιχεία γὰρ μεσολαβεῖ τὴν συνδιαίτησιν. Μὴ ἐχέτω μοναχὸς παῤῥησίαν πρὸς μονάστριαν, ἢ μονάστρια πρὸς μοναχόν, ἰδίᾳ προσομιλεῖν· μηδὲ κοιταζέσθω μοναχὸς ἐν γυναικείῳ μοναστηρίῳ· μηδὲ συνεσθιέτω μονάστρια κατὰ μόνας. Καὶ ὅτε τὰ ἀναγκαῖα τοῦ βίου παρὰ τοῦ ἀνδρῴου μέρους πρὸς τὰς κανονικὰς ἀποκομίζονται, ἔξωθεν τῆς πύλης ταῦτα λαμβανέτω ἡ ἡγουμένη τοῦ γυναικείου μοναστηρίου, μετὰ γραός τινος μοναστρίας. Εἰ δὲ συμβῇ, συγγενῆ τινὰ ἐθέλειν θεάσασθαι μοναχόν, ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ τῆς ἡγουμένης, ταύτῃ προσομιλείτω διὰ μικρῶν καὶ βραχέων λόγων, καὶ συντόμως ἐξ αὐτῆς ὑπαναχωρείτω.

The Seventh Ecumenical Council, the canons

English: this site's translation of the Greek beside it. Greek: the text of the Pedalion, as transcribed at users.uoa.gr/~nektar and corrected here. About these texts.