The figures Gibbon particularly draws our attention to in the early history of monasticism are St. Anthony in Egypt and St. Martin in Gaul.
Monasticism seems to have started in Egypt, and we have accounts of some of the monks by Rufinus and Palladius. Perhaps the most famous of the monks was St. Anthony, a life of whom was written by his contemporary admirer, Athanasius. The Catholic Encylopaedia has a more modern account.
Anthony has been a popular subject for painters: Hieronymus Bosch painted a lurid picture of Anthony's temptation by demons. Another picture on the same subject was painted by Matthias Grünewald as part of the Isenheim Altarpiece, which also contains a more restful picture of Anthony's visit to St. Paul the Hermit.
Once the monks started living in communities, Rules on how they were to live together were drawn up, one of the earliest by a younger contemporary of Anthony's, St. Pachomius.
A major figure in the introduction of monasticism into the West was St. Martin of Tours. We have a life by his younger contemporary, Sulpicius Severus. The Catholic Encylopaedia has an entry on St. Martin. The famous incident where Martin divided his cloak with a beggar has proved attractive for painters. Here is an example by El Greco.
Earlier post: Monasticism
