Monastery
Military - CastleBase values, before building technologies. Masonry and then Architecture each give buildings "+10% HP, +1/+1 Armor": late in a game, the real numbers are higher.
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"Religious building that trains Monks and researches powerful technologies. Monks can heal units and convert enemies, providing unique strategic options."
Strategic Analysis
Strategic Role
The Monastery enables one of the most unique mechanics in AoE2: conversion. A group of Monks can turn the tide of battle by stealing expensive enemy units like Knights or War Elephants.
Key Tactics
Monk Rush
In early Castle Age, 3-4 Monks with Sanctity can convert enemy Knights, turning their investment into yours. This works especially well on Arena.
Relic Control
Collect all 5 relics to generate 150 gold per minute. In long games, relics can be the difference between victory and defeat.
Healing Support
Monks behind your army can heal expensive units between fights, maximizing the value of your military investment.
Anti-Cavalry
Monks are the soft counter to Knights. The threat of conversion forces cavalry players to engage carefully or switch to faster units.
Warning
Monks are extremely fragile and slow. Protect them with infantry or keep them behind walls. Light Cavalry can easily kill unprotected Monks.
Stats Analysis
The Monastery is a support building with good durability. It has the most technologies of any building, making it a hub for important upgrades.
Hit Points
2100 HP
Slightly more durable than standard military buildings, reflecting its importance.
Technologies
10 Techs
The Monastery has more researchable technologies than any other building. Prioritize based on your strategy.
Relic Storage
Unlimited
Monks can garrison relics in the Monastery. Each relic generates 30 gold per minute.
Build Time
40s
Fast construction allows quick Monk production upon reaching Castle Age.
Units Produced
Placement Tip
Build your Monastery behind your walls, safe from raids. Keep Monks near your Monastery for quick healing and relic deposit.
Timing Tip
Build a Monastery early in Castle Age if planning a Monk strategy. Collect relics immediately - every minute without them is lost gold income.
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Context & meta
The Monastery is the home of Monks, the most game-swinging support units in Age of Empires II. It trains and garrisons Monks, houses Relics (each Relic generates a steady gold trickle), and researches the deep Monk technology tree — Redemption (convert buildings and siege), Atonement (convert enemy Monks), Sanctity, Fervor, Faith (resist conversion), Illumination, Block Printing (+3 Monk range), Heresy (converted units die) and Theocracy. A single Monk can convert an enemy Paladin, War Elephant or siege weapon, swinging huge resources in one action. Monastery play is high-skill, high-reward, and decisive in the right hands.
History & balance
The Monastery and Monk conversion have been a defining (and controversial) mechanic since the original game. The Definitive Edition rebalanced conversion ranges and the Monk technology costs to keep Monks powerful but not oppressive. Relic gold income makes Monasteries a strategic objective — controlling Relics is a real win condition in long games. Civilizations with Monk bonuses (Aztecs' HP-per-tech Monks, Spanish, Burmese, Lithuanians' relic synergies, Teutons' heal range) build entire strategies around the Monastery. Block Printing and Faith have been tuned repeatedly to balance the convert-vs-resist dynamic.
In pro play
Pros use Monks for surgical, high-value plays: converting an enemy's expensive units (Paladins, Elephants, Bombard Cannons), securing Relics for the gold income, and healing armies between fights. A 4-6 Monk mass behind an army is a brutal force multiplier — every conversion is a double swing (you lose nothing, they lose a unit and you gain it). Aztec, Spanish and Lithuanian players especially lean on Monastery play. The skill ceiling is high: good players micro Monks to convert key targets while dodging the Light Cavalry sent to snipe them. Relic control on maps like Arena often decides the lategame.
How to counter it
Monks are slow and fragile — Light Cavalry and Hussars are the universal answer, fast enough to reach and kill Monks before they finish a conversion. Never clump expensive units near enemy Monks; spread out so a single conversion does not cascade. Researching Heresy (converted units die instead of switching sides) neutralizes the resource-swing threat entirely. Faith makes your units far harder to convert. The simplest counter is mobility and awareness: keep cavalry on Monk-watch, and if you see a Monastery push coming, pick off the Monks individually rather than letting them dictate the fight.