What do we call the leader of a monastery?

The story behind the answer

In Western monasticism, the community’s male superior holds ultimate authority over the monks, guiding their spiritual discipline, managing the monastery’s lands and finances, and setting the rhythm of prayer and work under the Rule of Saint Benedict. This office is elected by the monks and symbolizes both pastoral care and administrative leadership.

The title comes from the Semitic word abba, meaning “father,” reflecting his role as spiritual father. By contrast, a prior is typically the deputy, a rector is an academic or parish leader in other contexts, and an abbess leads a community of nuns. In the Middle Ages, some heads of major monasteries wielded significant temporal power, even carrying a crozier like a bishop and holding seats in councils or parliaments.