In medieval monasteries, a lay member or convert who took monastic vows but had a different status from ordained clergy.
From Latin 'conversus' meaning 'converted' or 'turned around.' Used in ecclesiastical Latin to describe lay converts in religious communities who were not ordained priests or monks.
A 'conversus' in a medieval monastery might do carpentry, farming, or cooking—doing essential work while following monastic discipline, creating a complex social structure within monastery walls that historians are still studying.
Latin masculine form used in religious/legal contexts for male converts. The gendered inflection reflects institutional documentation that recorded men's conversions more systematically than women's, erasing women's religious experiences.
In historical research, note the masculine bias in source materials and intentionally reference women converts (conversa) when discussing conversion movements.
["convert","neophyte","proselyte"]
Women converts often achieved greater spiritual authority post-conversion than in their birth communities, yet remain underrepresented in 'conversus'-labeled historical records.
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