Anchoritic traditional of medieval Europe

the long version

"The practice of anchoritism - religious enclosure which was frequently solitary and voluntarily embraced - was widespread in many areas of Europe throughout the middle ages. Originating in the desert withdrawal of the earliest Christians and predating even the monastic life, anchoritism developed into an elite vocation which was popular among both men and women; in the later period it was particularly associated with pious laywomen, who opted for this extreme way of life in substantial numbers throughout western Europe, often as an alternative to marriage or remarriage. This volume brings together for the first time in English much of the most important European scholarship on the subject."--BOOK JACKET.