The two centuries following the triumph of orthodoxy saw a remarkable revival in the fortunes of Byzantine monasticism. Not only did the numbers of those following the contemplative life increase, but the sheer variety of monastic practices testifies to its success in providing a range of experience that could appeal to all sectors of society. For monasticism was never the sole prerogative of the aristocratic or the educated; the small oratory built by a group of two or three pious peasants who wished to devote themselves to the religious life was deemed to be just as valid and as honourable a monastery as the rich, well-populated house founded by members of the upper ranks of society or the imperial family. The availability of these various types of monastic life-style made it necessary for potential monks and nuns to make an active and individual choice about which they proposed to follow.

Such a choice could already be made in western Asia Minor by the end of the ninth century, a matter of considerable importance in the development of monasticism throughout the empire in the following centuries since many of the most celebrated monastic leaders of the period either lived there or passed through the region in a formative period of their ministry. The contrasting forms of monasticism may be placed here, as elsewhere, in a geographical context.