First, use of the term “convent” to refer strictly to a community of women devoting their lives to the Catholic Church is relatively new (19th century). Earlier, convent was also used for communities of men who wanted to “convene” with fellow mendicants in devotion to Christ. In the 1400’s, the Convento di San Marco in Florence was taken from a Benedictine order of friars and given to the Dominicans. The transfer was possibly orchestrated by Cosimo (the Elder) de Medici and he immediately poured in money to redesign and rebuild the convent. One of the Dominican friars who ended up at San Marco was the friar/painter Fra Angelico, arriving just as the Renaissance was heating up (realistic settings, linear perspective, 3D). Cosimo the Elder set Fra Angelico to decorating the church and convent, where he produced altarpieces and frescoes. At San Marco, he is most noted for the frescoes he painted in the brothers’ dormitory rooms. The fresco was to help the brother focus his meditation and prayer when alone in his cell.
John and Susan's Excellent Adventure 