It's the reign of the emperor Valentinian I. The empire has legalized Christianity some time ago. But then decades pass, and the West has many monasteries and nunneries, we see them spread in Gaul, we see them in Aquilea, in Narbonensis, by the banks of the Loire, and, of course, there is already the Greek speaking community in the south that has practiced this for a while now.

We learn how when some eastern monks showed up in Milan, Augustine was so amazed by their devotion that it influenced him to encourage the lifestyle.

Overall it seems to me that monasticism became 'trendy' in the Latin West largely because Christianity was already legal and being a church attendant was something mainstream.

I mean in the Syria Prima, it got so extreme that we see Simeon the Stylite who lived on top of a pillar outside for 30 years.

But the interesting thing is that this idea of just becoming a monk is so foreign to Roman culture.

I mean how did the bishops and senators deal with this? Especially since sometimes the monks inflamed the wrath of powerful people