The abbey and its gardens
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A monastery or convent housing a community living in seclusion from the world and run by a father abbot or an abbess. The term is also used for the monastic constructions as a whole
The church of an abbey
The monk responsible for an abbey. He is elected by the monks (except under the in commendam system)
A monk living in a community following Saint Benedict’s rule.
One of the most eminent people in the Duchy of Normandy: he is the officer responsible for the duke’s chamber and manages his property.
A place where the abbot gathered the monks every day to read extracts or "chapters" from Saint Benedict’s rule, and to administer the life of the abbey and the community.
A square covered gallery allowing people to go from one monastic building (the church, chapter room, refectory, dormitory, etc.) to another. This is a place of silence and prayer.
The church of a college of canons. Unlike the monks, they lived in the village
This marks off the parts of the monastery which only monks are allowed to enter.
Under this system (late 15th to 17th centuries), the abbots, who were sometimes lay people and members of the aristocracy, were appointed by the King. They were not forced to reside in their abbey(s) and usually only ever visited them to collect the income.
A monk of the Benedictine congregation of Saint Maur. With the Hundred Years War, the Wars of Religion and the In Commendam system, abbeys suffered a sharp decline both materially and spiritually. In the early 17th century, Benedictine monks founded the congregation of Saint Maur, one of the objectives of which was to turn certain monastic communities around, at their own request.
The part of the abbey where the community’s living quarters are located: dormitory, kitchen, refectory, library, scriptorium, etc.
A member of a religious order who has made solemn vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and the vow of stability which ties him permanently to his monastery.
A monk who belonged to a community but was not forced to reside in a monastery. He followed Saint Augustine’s rule
Laws governing the provisions on the material and spiritual life of a monastic order. The most important rule in western monasticism is Saint Benedict's rule.
Benedict was born in Italy in around 480 and in around 530 he founded the monastery of Monte Cassino (between Rome and Naples) where he wrote the "rule" which bears his name. He died there in around 547.
