Since the Kamakura period it has come to mean the high-class temple itself, or in other words the status of the temple, and those temples have come to be called Monzeki temples.
鎌倉時代以降は位階の高い寺院そのもの、つまり寺格を指すようになり、それらの寺院を門跡寺院と呼ぶようになった。