The principal existing monastic orders are the Benedictines, Carthusians and Cistercians.
Certain religious orders in the Roman catholic Church, particularly the Carmelites, Dominicans and Franciscans, who hold no property but whose members are supported by the voluntary contributions of the faithful.
The first mendicant orders arose in the 13th century and included both professed religious as well as lay men and women. Because of various abuses to which their way of life gave rise, their numbers were restricted and Pope Gregory X laid down rules for them in 1274.
Unlike the established monastic orders, the mendicant orders worked in the towns rather than the countryside. Their members wandered from place to place to preach, and often gained great influence over the populace - frequently at the expense of the secular clergy.
In modern times, their original rules have had to be modified considerably and they are now permitted the usufruct, if not the possession, of fixed property.
