Recluse

In order to achieve spiritual union with God through a life of uninterrupted prayer and penance, religious minded people may retire as completely as possible from human society, either by taking up habitation in a deserted or secluded region on by being "walled in" to a small room or cell, often attached to a church or monastery. Such practices were common in the early Christian church and in the middle ages, when perpetual or long-term inclusion involving severe penances and asceticism were often practised.