A monastic movement or group of early Christian monks, particularly those practicing continuous prayer and austere living without sleep.
From Greek 'akémetos' (sleepless), referencing early Christian communities who maintained perpetual prayer cycles. The term refers both to the group and their religious practice of sleepless devotion.
Founded in 5th-century Constantinople, the Acemetae literally pioneered the 24-hour shift system, splitting their community into three 8-hour groups that prayed continuously—basically the first industrial-age workers, just with psalms instead of factory jobs.
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