Monasticism and Clergy in Medieval City: Social Practices and Spiritual Life in Сologne in the Beginning of the 18th Century

The article examines the social practices of the Cologne clergy as an active part of the urban community of the early 13th century, when the communal movement in Europe flourished. The author put under scrutiny the different forms of pastoral care and monastic ascetics in the medieval metropolis, discussing various aspects of daily life of clerics, analyses conflicts, grounded in the religious practices of communities and their implication on the understanding of their role and mission. The author concludes that the dichotomy between the City and the Church, which might be found in the medieval cities of twelfth century, disappears by the beginning of the thirteenth century through the active integration of the urban community and church institutions, the development and sanctification of urban space through the construction or rebuilding of churches and monasteries for regular or secular canons, through social contacts between clergy and townspeople, monks and clergy.