Enclosed religious orders

Enclosed religious orders of the Christian churches have solemn vows with a strict separation from the affairs of the external world. The term cloistered is synonymous with enclosed. In the Catholic Church enclosure is regulated by the Code of Canon Law, either the Latin code or the Oriental code, and also by subsidiary legislation. Enforced in the past with a largely uniform severity, at least in the case of women, it is now practised with a wider variety of custom according to the nature and charism of the community in question.