What impact did monasticism have on the development of Christianity in the Middle Ages?

During
the Middle Ages, monasteries contributed greatly to the cultivation and dissemination of ideas.
It was the monastic orders, most notably the Franciscans and the Dominicans, which provided the
theological and philosophical foundations for the Church's temporal and spiritual rule.
Monasteries were great centers of learning throughout Europe and were normally at the cutting
edge of the latest intellectual developments.

Thomas Aquinas, arguably the
greatest medieval philosopher and one of the greatest thinkers of all time, was a Dominican
friar. His remarkable synthesis of orthodox Christian theology with the newly-discovered work of
the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle would go on to form the basis of the Church's teaching,
ensuring that the Church would be able to accommodate the best of pagan learning within a
Christian framework. Thanks to the efforts of Aquinas and other thinkers who developed their
ideas within a monastic context, the Church was able to maintain its...