“Anchorite, anchoress, a person dedicated to a life of strict solitude and penance. Because they are not allowed to leave their dwellings, anchorites often have their cells attached to the church sanctuary so they may receive the Eucharist through a window; their meals are passed through a different window. In addition to a life of prescribed prayer and fasting, these solitaries study, write books, sew clothing for the poor, and offer spiritual advice to visitors through a veiled window. Prophetic witness and compassion characterize this canonical form of consecrated life.”

McBrien, Richard P., ed. The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism. “Anchorite, Anchoress.” (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995) page 44.