“Drinking Beer Seems to Be a Necessity for Them”: the Role of Alcohol in the Life of Catholic Monastic Communities in the Belarusian-Lithuanian Lands at the End of the 18th-19th Centuries

Key Points

• The article aims to explore the significance of alcoholic beverages for Catholic monastic communities in Belarusian and Lithuanian territories during the late 18th and 19th centuries.
• Analysis of written documentary materials from various country archives (Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Russia).
• Examination of different types of alcoholic beverages including beer, honey, wine, vodka, and rum.
• Categorization of the roles alcohol played, such as traditional, festive, and economic.
• Alcoholic beverages served multiple roles including being traditional, festive, and economically significant.
• Communities used alcohol for both consolidating bonds and disintegration in social contexts.
• Different types of alcohol were integrated into various aspects of monastic life.