Issue No. 25

They were allowed to do spiritual things,
reading, writing, painting and sculpting but
nothing they produced ever had their
signature. They had no personal
possessions, no ego and no vanity. There
were no distractions and their roles were
viewed as collective. They prayed. A lot.
The Fathers were felt to experience a
spiritual consciousness by withdrawing from
the world which enabled them to pray for
mankind.
I expected to feel claustrophobic and shut in
when I stood in the apartment of a Father.
But instead, it felt surprisingly open, tranquil
and calm. In the small garden I could feel the
rays of the sun and hear the birds. Other
than that it was silent as it had been for
centuries.
Colourful patterns fell across the cloisters
from the stained glass windows. There are
several cloisters, arched and columned and
glorious.
The Fathers met five times a day for prayer
in the Great Chapel and on Sunday
afternoons when they dined together –
always in silence. On Mondays they were
allowed to take a walk outside the
Charterhouse and speak if necessary and
once a week they would gather in the
Chapter Room and speak – but only if they
had something relevant to say. The French
saying “l’avoir l’avoir a chapitre” – having a
voice in the chapter, which means to have
influence, originated from this.
They were allowed to meet up with their
family for just two hours a year. No part of
the Charterhouse was accessible to the
public but religious visitors were allowed.
And every Charterhouse followed the same
rules and routines.