Medieval and Middle Ages History Timelines

Glossary

Glossary of terms

Abbey: A monastic community. Abbeys belonged to particular orders, such as the Cistercians.
Abbot: (m.) Person in charge of an Abbey.
Benedictine: Order of monks founded by St. Benedict. Followed the Benedictine Rule.
Cell: A monastic dependency of a religious house.
Daughter House: Foundation of an abbey by monks from another abbey. Initial community consisted of 13 monks, one of which was the group leader.
Monk: A man who has taken vows and joined a religious community.

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Virtual Buildings

Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past.

Medieval Motte and Bailey Castle

medieval stone keep

Siege Engine

Stokesay Castle

Middleham Castle

Layout

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Layout of a medieval abbey or monastery

he building layout of medieval abbeys followed a common plan. An example of the plan is shown below and the text below the plan describes the function of each section. Many Cistercian and Benedictine abbeys were built in this way. Variations to the plan did occur where drainage and conditions of the site forced a change to be made. Abbeys of the Carthusian order were based on a different layout because the monks lived solitary lives in small cells with gardens arranged around a central cloister.

Key

Narthex

Nave

Choir

Transepts Nth/Sth

Presbytery

High Altar

More Altars

Cloister

Garden / Garth

East Range

Choir Mnks Dorter

Night Stairs

Sacristy

Library

Chapter-house

Reredorter/Toilets

Water supply

West Range

Night Stairs

Kitchen

Dining Room

Warming Room

The Church

The layout of the cruciform (cross) shaped church is common to the majority of abbeys, cathedrals and churches in the country. Each section of the church has its own name.

At the west end of the church is the narthex. This is usually a covered porch infront of the main west doors. Once inside the church the nave

begins. The nave forms the bulk of the church and reaches from the west end to the choir

and the north and south transepts

. In a cathedral the choir usually starts to the east of the transepts but in abbeys where the buildings are shorter the choir starts further to the west. Further to the east is the presbytery

and finally the high altar

Two classes of monk lived in the abbey. The first known as lay monks or lay brothers were the secular members of the abbey and were not bound by the stricter monastic rules of prayer. The lay monks did the day-to-day tasks needed to run the abbey. The other monks were the monastic or choir monks. These monks dedicated their time to prayer and learning. The lay brothers worshiped at the west end of the nave while the monastic monks worshipped at the east end. A screen, known as the pulpitum, separated the choir from the nave.

Additional altars are located in the transepts as well as the high altar. These altars were founded by wealthy people or organisations who wanted prayers said to a favourite saint or for prayers to be said for themselves and their families.

The Cloister

Click image to explore the abbey

The cloister is a rectangular covered walkway built around a central garden or garth

. The cloisters were used by the monks for exercise, study and movement under cover between the different parts of the abbey. Cloisters are usually located on the south side of the nave

where it is naturally sunnier and warmer, but some abbeys have their cloisters situated to the north due possibly to building constraints. At the east end of the north cloister leading to the nave is the east processional doorway. This route was used by monks as they moved from the church on important processions. They walked down the north cloister and into the nave again via the west processional door.

The East (Dorter) Range

The two storey buildings on the east side of the cloister are an extension of the southern transept

. These buildings were used by the choir monks of the abbey and the religious leaders of the church. The upper floor of the east range was main used as a dorter (dormitory) for the choir monks

. Access to the upper floor from the church is via the night stairs

that lead from the southern transept of the church. Using the night stairs the choir monks could walk directly from the sleeping quarters into the church during the early hours to say prayers.

On the ground floor of the east range accessible only from the south transept is the sacristy that is used to store the church valuables while they are not in use. In some abbeys a passage can be found where the sacristy is normally located. This passage or slype led through from the cloister to the cemetary. Alongside the sacristy and accessible from the cloister is the library

The monastery needed a toilet (reredorter) and this is located in the east range. An important factor when sighting the abbey was the availability of fresh flowing water

. Water is needed for drinking and can be used to flush away waste. In some locations the monks built extensive water ducts to channel the water to where it was required. A channel runs directly under the reredorter to take away the waste.

Chapter-house

The Chapter-house is usually located at the centre of the east cloister wall. This is where the Dean and Chapter met to discuss the running of the abbey. The chapter-house had rich decorations, both inside and on the doorway leading to it. This reflected the importance of the room to the church and its members. The roof of the chapter-house was normally vaulted. Around the edge of the room was a series of stone benches on which the members would sit. The chapter was held every day after Morrow Mass and started with several readings.

The West (Cellarer's) Range

The west range of the abbey was run by the secular members of the abbey. Entrance to the abbey was through the west range and this is where visitors would be greeted and where guest rooms were provided. A monk known as the cellarer worked in this area and he was responsible for ensuring the abbey was supplied with all that the abbey required. The cellarer would visit the local towns and fairs to buy supplies. He would offer a fair price for goods especially to those who needed the money. The lower floors to the west range was usually where the supplies were stored. The long room was normally vaulted. The upper floor of the west range was the usual location of the lay monks dorter (dormitory or sleeping quarters). They had a flight of night stairs leading from their dorter into the west end of the church.

This range could also be where the senior members of the house slept and also where guests were entertained. But this was not always the case. At some abbeys the abbot had completley separate living accommodation.

The South (Frater) Range

The kitchen is one of the rooms located on the south side of the cloister. This range of rooms and buildings was where the monks dined in the large room known as the refectory or frater

. The range also had warming room

which was one of the few rooms in the abbey where there was a fire.

The refectory was much like a large hall in a castle where banquets were held. The tables were arranged along the side walls and at the far end was a raised area where the more senior members of the house ate. Readings would be read by one of the monks while the food was consumed. Monks would wash their hands before entering the refectory.

Further Buildings

At many locations abbeys consisted of more buildings than shown in the above plan. There was usually a simple hospital (or infirmary) where sick monks or travellers could be tended to. Workshops, bakeries and guest houses could also be found as well as buildings to house pigs, horses, cows and calves.

Other parts

Bakehouse

A large amount of bread was required to feed not only the monks within the community but also the poor who depended on the charity provided by the Almoner. The bakehouse was located within the outer court of buildings that usually surrounded the abbey or monastery.

Barn

The Cellarer was responsible for purchasing the food and other provisions required by the community and the barn was need to store all of this. Barns were normally one of the largest buildings on the estate and built to a very high standard. An example of a large medieval barn can still be seen at Cressing Temple, a site once owned by the Knights Templar.

Fishpond

Fish was a common diet for members of the abbey. To ensure a good supply of fish, artificial fishponds and hatcheries were constructed on the abbey grounds.

Herbarium

Every monastery and abbey would have had a garden devoted to the cultivation of herbs. They were important not just for adding as ingredients to food, but also as medicines for healing the sick. The medieval doctors of their day would have understood what properties each herb had and how to apply them. The green area inside the cloisters (the garth) was commonly used for this purpose.

Gatehouse

All abbeys would have had a large, two-storey gatehouse at its entrance. An archway through the gatehouse would have been wide enough for a horse and cart to pass through. There may have also been a separate archway for people of foot. Rooms for a porter may have been incorporated in the gatehouse. It was the porter's function to control who entered the abbey grounds.

Glossary