Abstract
The economy of stability is an umbrella term for specific features of the economy of monasteries in the Benedictine tradition. We analyse four: the influence of an ideal stability on the structure of incomes; on the form and use of monastic complexes; the management of tradition and memory; the economy of hospitality; and sustainability.
The perspective of the economy of stability is used to compare the position of monasteries in the Czech post-atheistic and Austrian Catholic societies, which share a long history but considerably diverge because of the Czech communist period when consecrated life was illegal. After 27 years of renewed monastic life in Czechia, monasteries are still finding their specific place within society and formulating a plausible message for it.
They opt between the logics of disconnectedness and world-connectedness to mediate to society different values, both of which, however, are interpreted as basic Christian values. Austrian monasteries incorporated and modified the enlightenment values introduced by Joseph II, and with their economy of hereditament they represent a model to those Czech monasteries who want to build on the common Czech and Austrian tradition of the monastery as a centre of local life.