What is a monastery? A church or a house? Well it is almost a bit of both. It is a place where monks live. A place where nuns live is called a nunnery or a convent, but some also call it a monastery.
An 'abbey' is a name given for a Christian monastery (there are different kinds of religions all across the world). The monk in charge of the abbey is called an Abbot.
You can find more info on types of religions here.
Different religions run their monasteries differently. The Christian monasteries have a chapel where the monks worship and they are not allowed to marry. They may also not own any earthly goods like a house or a car.
Everything they use, does not belong to them but to the monastery, even their clothes.
When the Roman Empire came to a fall, the monasteries where the places where people still could go to study and read. They found knowledge here.
Some monasteries are found in places very far away from where other people live and the monks live a very isolated life. They grow their own food and take care of one another.
Some monasteries are near towns or cities. The monks do a lot of good work in the community an will teach others about God and their believes.
Read more interesting facts about the history of monasteries here.