Science Fair Project Encyclopedia In general, a nun is a female
ascetic who chooses to voluntarily leave the world and live her
life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent. The
term "nun" is applicable to Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox
Christians, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Buddhists, for example.
The male equivalent of a nun is a monk. In Roman Catholicism a
nun is the term for a female monastic regular, equivalent to
that of a male monk. In the Catholic tradition, there are a
number of different orders of nuns each with its own charism or
special devotion. In general, when a person enters a convent she
has a trial period (Noviciate) that lasts a number of years.
Upon completion of this period she may take her vows. In the
various branches of the Benedictine tradition (Benedictines,
Cistercian and Trappists) nuns usually take formal vows of
stability (that is, to remain a member of a single monastic
community), obedience (to an abbess or prioress), and
"conversion of life" (which includes th