Monastic martyrs of compassion: murdered Trappist monks in Algeria and the different meanings of martyrdom

Abstract

This article explores different dimensions of martyrdom by analysing the case of a group of murdered Trappist monks in Algeria in 1996. The monks had remained in their monastery, although they were threatened by terrorism and advised to leave the country. Monastic stability became the leading principle of their life and death, and opened the space to develop the virtue of compassion directed to all groups present in their surroundings, radically. To be able to understand this martyrdom of compassion, the author analyses the representation of the fate of the monks in the movie Of Gods and Men (2010). Furthermore, monastic practices that guarantee stability and compassion are analysed from the perspective of monastic and ritual studies. The aim is a contribution to the understanding of practices contributing to the development of virtues in monastic life that have both, humanitarian and religious relevance.