In 357AD, after visiting monasteries in Mesopotamia, Palestine, Syria and Egypt, Basil set up his own monastery at Annesi. Basil emphasized the importance of monasteries being communities, rather than collections of solitaries. He advocated all monasteries should serve the poor in their localities, requiring all prospective members to sell at least some of their property to give to the poor. He saw the core business of monasteries as embodying the love of God in the flesh. In 370AD, he was made the Bishop of Caesarea. Basil used his position as a platform to denounce ‘simony’(making money from religious activities) and ‘usury’ (making a profit from the poor by charging interest on loans), and to encourage the support of people suffering from drought and famine. Basil established an institute at the gates of the city, which was used as a poorhouse, hospital and hospice.[i]