The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca

• 240 • Roberta Gilchrist
The architecture of the church and some claustral buildings varied according to the filiation
of the monastery, in other words, the monastic order to which it belonged. These variations
included the ground-plan of the buildings and the nature of their architectural embellishment.
For instance, the buildings of the Cluniacs were typically more highly ornamented than those of
other orders (such as Much Wenlock, Shropshire), while those of the friars and the early phases
of the Cistercians were simple, unadorned structures. The social composition of a monastery
also affected its form. The inclusion of the lay-brothers in Cistercian monasteries required the
provision of a second set of domestic accommodation. The west range of the monastery was
therefore extended in scale to include the dormitory and refectory of the lay-brothers, with easy
access to their space in the nave, as shown at Fountains (Figure 13.7). In order to serve the
refectories of both the monks and the lay-brothers, a kitchen was placed in the angle between the
west and south ranges. This required the monks’ refectory to be turned at right angles in order to
project from the cloister. A second complex was also required in the case of double houses,
which were essentially nunneries that had a group of resident monks or canons attached. The
orders of St Gilbert and Fontevrault were both based on this structure, and required separate
cloisters for the nuns and canons, with that of the nuns joined to the main conventual church (for
example at Watton, North Yorkshire). The ordering of space in the monastery was carefully
arranged to divide social groups, separating monks from lay-brothers, canons from nuns, and all
religious from secular (non-monastic) visitors. Even within the monastic choir and refectory,
seating was carefully ordered according to seniority within the community.
Figure 13.7 Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire, from the north-east. The Cistercian monastery was
founded in 1132, and rebuilt on a massive scale by the 1150s. The square cloister projects from the south of
the monastic church; the accommodation of the lay-brothers was contained in the extended west range
(shown here with lead roof); adjacent is the monks’ refectory, which projects at right angles from the
cloister.
Source: R.Gilchrist