canon regular

The Canons Regular are Catholic priests and religious brothers (canons) who live in community under a rule (Latin: regula and κανών, kanon, in Greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, designated by a partly similar terminology. As religious communities, they have lay brothers as part of the community. Canons regular generally follow the Rule of Saint Augustine. At times, the life of canons regular has been very popular. In 12th-century England, there were more houses of canons (often referred to as an abbey or canonry) than monasteries of monks.