> So, he became a priest? (Father Ted [a literary classic] reference)

Galileo had (illegitimate) daughters but was unable to find husbands for them, so their remaining options were to become nuns. One seems to have quite brilliant, but the other a drunk:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo%27s_Daughter

Back in the day the Church was the social safety net of society, so many folks ended up in monasteries as a form of charity for folks that would perhaps otherwise would have no other way to support themselves.