1. plural of laura: monasteries or clusters of hermit cells in early Christian communities
Usage: historical; religious

Examples

• The ancient lauras of Palestine housed many early Christian monks.
• Archaeological excavations revealed the remains of several Byzantine lauras.
• Monks in the lauras lived in individual cells but gathered for communal worship.
• The desert lauras were centers of spiritual learning in the early centuries.
• Many famous saints emerged from the lauras of the Holy Land.