Glossary of Monastic Terms

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Abbot	The head of the religious community. He presided over the abbey and was in charge of internal and external administration. He stood in place of God within the monastery and was to be obeyed at all times. The head of a priory was a prior.
Act of Supremacy	Through this Act of 1534 Henry VIII (1509-47) declared himself head of the Church in England. Members of religious orders were required to take an oath (the Oath of Supremacy) to acknowledge Henry's status and pledge their allegiance to him; anyone who resisted him was deemed guilty of treason.
Aisle	The area on either side of the nave or chancel.
Alien priory	A small religious foundation dependent on a foreign mother house. In Wales the houses were usually dependencies of monasteries in England and France and include Brecon, which was dependent on Battle Abbey, Sussex, and St Clears, which was dependent on St Martin des Champs in Paris.
Ambulatory	A semicircular or polygonal passageway running behind the High Altar; generally an extension of the apse.
Apse	Area projecting eastwards from the church; may be rectangular, semicircular or polygonal.
Apsidal	see Apse
Arcade	A series of arches supported on columns; may be closed (blind) or open.
Arcading	see Arcade
Arch	A curved structure across an opening or recess which comprises wedge-shaped elements. These provide support by converting vertical pressure into lateral pressure.
Ashlar	Dressed' stone; large stone blocks with smooth, square edges; irregular blocks are known as 'rubble'.
Augustinian Canons	Canons who observe a regular life but unlike monks are not required to withdraw from the world and engage in pastoral work, after the example of the Apostles. read more
Aumbry	A small niche or cupboard to store the vessels used in the celebration of Mass.
Bard	A professional poet engaged by a patron, often an abbot. In the later Middle Ages a number of the Welsh bards resided in Cistercian houses such as Valle Crucis and Strata Florida, where they wrote poetry commemorating the abbots' achievements.
Bay	A division of space along a wall or roof, such as a section of arcading between two piers.
Benedict of Nursia	see St Benedict
Benedictine Order	see Benedictines
Benedictines	Monks who follow the Rule of St Benedict, compiled in the sixth century by St Benedict of Nursia for his monks of Monte Cassino. read more
Benefactor	A donor who suported the community with financial or other aid.
Black Friars	see Dominicans
Bourg	From the tenth century the bourg became increasingly associated with trade and agriculture with seigneurial and monastic bourgs comprising groupings of tenants but also demarcating areas of intensified trade, commerce and craftmanship. These quarters were often fortified.
Buttress	A structure built against another to support or strengthen it.
Calefactory	Also known as the warming house. This was one of the few places in the monastery that was heated. The community gathered here to warm themselves, and carried out various tasks such as preparing ink and greasing boots; in some houses the routine bloodletting sessions were carried out here.
Canonical Hours	This comprised the seven daytime Offices of Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, Compline and a night Office of Vigils. These structured the monk's day which began with Lauds at daybreak and ended with Compline at sunset.
Capella ante portas	The chapel by the gate; this was usually beside the main entrance to the precinct and was often used by layfolk and pilgrims.
Capital	The top of a column, carved or sculpted. A scalloped capital is one decorated with truncated cones which form inverted semicircles, like scallop shells, around the top of the capital; a foliate capital is one decorated with a foliage design.
Carta Caritatis	see Charter of Charity
Cartulary	A manuscript that contained various charters relating to land, rights and legalities.
Cîteaux	The mother house of the Cistercian Order, which was situated in Burgundy. It was founded in 1098 by a group of Benedictine monks who left their abbey of Molesme.
Cellarer	One of the most important monastic officials he had charge of the monastery's provisions.
Chancel	The area around the High Altar in the east end of the church.
Chantry	An endowment to finance the chanting of masses or prayers for the dead.
Chapterhouse	Each day the community assembled in the chapterhouse for a meeting which began with a reading from the Rule of St Benedict. Business and disciplinary matter were then addressed. The chapterhouse was generally on the east claustral range and was often an impressive building, second only to the church.
Charter of Charity	This set out the constitutional framework of the Cistercian Order and defined the familial arrangement of the houses which were subject to an annual visitation from the Father Immediate. Every abbey was to possess a copy of this pioneering work. It was first compiled c. 1114 but was later revised and updated.
Chevet	The eastern part of the church comprising the ambulatory, sanctuary and radiating chapels.
Chevron	A zig-zag design.
Choir	The eastern part of the church occupied by the monks who gathered here to celebrate the Canonical Hours.
Cistercian Order	The Cistercian Order had its origins in the marshy forests of Cîteaux, south of Dijon, and became one of the most important of the new religious orders to emerge from the eleventh-century reform movement. read more
Clas(au)	Ancient mother churches. Just before the Anglo Norman conquest of Wales these were run by hereditary groups of canons known as 'claswyr'. Examples include Bangor and Penmon.
Clerestory	The upper storey of the church above the roof of the aisles; windowed, to bring in light.
Cloister	An open quadrangle (garth) surrounded by a covered walkway or arcade; connects the domestic offices with the church.
Cluniac Order	A reformed branch of the Benedictine Order which emerged from tenth-century Burgundy and dominated monasticism in the tenth and eleventh centuries. read more
Cluny	The mother house of the Cluniac congregations that was founded in Burgundy in 909 by William of Aquitaine. While Cluny was an abbey all other houses in the order were priories. Cluny was at the forefront of monastic reform in the tenth century but later was criticised for its extravagence and laxity.
Coenobitic	This refers to communal living and describes monks who lived as a community rather than as solitaries.
Collation	The daily reading from John Cassian's Collationes Patrum (Conferences) or from another edificatory work which took place usually in the north claustral walk and before Compline.
Collations	see Collation
Column	Cylindrical, polygonal or square pillar which often supports an arch.
Compline	The final daytime Hour which was celebrated at sunset and concluded the monk's day. It is named after the Latin 'plenus' meaning complete
Conduit	A manmade water supply.
Conversus	see Lay brother
Corbel	Stone projection from a wall, often decorative, which supports another feature such as a beam or an arch.
Cornice	Moulded horizontal projection along the top of a column or wall.
Corrodian	see Corrody
Corrody	The stipend given to an individual by the community either in return for gifts received or as a reward for previous services. This usually comprised food, drink, clothing and perhaps lodging within the precinct, but the terms varied. The recipient was known as a 'corrodian'.
Cowl	Part of the monastic garb, this was a full cloak with wide sleeves and a hood worn that was worn by the brethren over the tunic in the church, chapterhouse and refectory.
Credence table	A small table or shelf in the sanctuary where the bread, wine and water were placed before the Mass.
Crossing	The central space in the church where the choir, nave and transepts intersect.
Cruciform	Shaped in a cross; the common layout for the church.
Culdees	Eremitical communities who occupied isolated sites such as Puffin Island and Bardsey.
Customary	A directory of customs regulating the daily organisation of the monastery and liturgical practice.
Daughter house	A monastery founded by another was known as its daughter house. Grace Dieu, for example, was a daughter house of Abbey Dore which sent a community of its own monks to colonise the new abbey in 1226.
Daystairs	Staircase providing access from the cloister to the monks' dormitory.
Divine Office	see Canonical Hours
Dominicans	Members of the Friars Preacher, a Mendicant Order founded by St Dominic (d. 1221) and recognised by the papacy in 1216. They followed the Rule of St Augustine and observed corporate as well as individual poverty. Scholarship was integral to the Dominican way of life and members were given a theological training to equip them to combat heresy. The Dominicans played a leading role in the universities; notable members include Thomas Aquinas.
Dormitory	The room where the brethren slept in common; in the later Middle Ages some dormitories were partitioned into cubicles to provide privacy.
Dorter	see Dormitory
Eremitic	One who lives as a solitary or a hermit.
Flying buttress	A supporting structure which converted the pressure from the vault to the exterior of the building; it either connected two walls of the nave, choir or transept with an open half-arch or a complete arch or joined a wall running across the roof of the aisle to the main buttress.
Fransicans	Members of the Friars Minor, a Mendicant Order founded by St Francis of Assisi (d. 1226) in 1209. They exercised corporate as well as individual poverty and lived by begging. They occupied urban environments and preached to the populace.
Friar	Popular name for the Mendicant Orders which emerged in the thirteenth century. They were committed to poverty - communal as well as individual - and thus relied on begging for their daily subsistence. In contrast to monks, friars were not bound by vows of stability and moved around the towns, preaching and caring for the sick. The Dominicans (Order of Friars Preacher) played a prominent role in the universities.
Galilee	see Narthax
General Chapter	An annual general meeting attended by the heads of houses. The Cistercians were the first to make this an integral part of the Order's administration; it was soon taken on by other orders and in 1215 Innocent III made this mandatory.
Grange	An agricultural centre from which the community co-ordinated farming and industrial work.
Grey Friars	see Fransicans
Grisaille	A greenish-grey medieval glass with geometric design.
Grotesque	Carving or sculpture of a figure, animal or hybrid.
Guestmaster	The monastic official in charge of hospitality; he oversaw the reception and care of guests and the organisation of the hospice / guesthouse.
Habit	The customary monastic garb. This was traditionally black but the Cistercians chose to wear habits of undyed wool and were thus known as the White or Grey Monks.
Hagiography	Writings on saints and venerated persons.
Horarium	The daily timetable in the monastery that was structured around the Canonical Hours.
Hosteller	see Guestmaster
Infirmarer	The monastic official who took care of the sick and the infirm; he had oversight of the infirmary.
Infirmarian	see Infirmarer
Infirmary	The room or complex where the sick and infirm were cared for. This was set away from the cloister, often to the east, and might comprise a chapel, hall, kitchen and garden.
Jamb	The side support of an arch, window or doorway.
Kitchener	The monastic official in charge of the kitchen.
Knights Hospitaller	The Hospitallers seemingly had their origins in the late eleventh century with the foundation of a pilgrim hospital in Jerusalem, near the Holy Sepulchre. But it was in the twelfth century that the Hospitallers became a Military Order. They lived according to a rule (based on the Rule of St Augustine) and took vows of chastity and obedience. The Hospitallers' main task was the care of pilgrims and Crusaders to the Holy Land, but they also had property and lands in the West such as the preceptory at Slebech (Pembrokeshire).
Knights of St John	see Knights Hospitaller
Knights Templar	In the twelfth century the Knights Templar developed into a Military Order. As fighting monks they served in the Holy Land, guarding the pilgrim routes to Jerusalem and protecting the crusader states. They took vows of chastity and obedience and lived under a rule that was compiled by the Cistercian, St Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153). Whilst the Templars became prosperous through generous benefaction from home and their victories in the East their reputation suffered a blow following the Fall of Acre in 1291 and was undermined further when their practices as international financiers were questioned. Like the Hospitallers, they had properties in the West.
Lancet	A tall narrow window with a pointed head, often used in Early Gothic architecture.
Lauds	The first Canonical Hour of the day that was celebrated at dawn.
Lavabo	A water basin or washing place.
Lavatorium	see Laver
Laver	A long trough with running water for washing.
Lay brother	This initially referred to an adult convert to the religious life but later, with the emergence of the new religious orders, it described a non-monastic member of the community who took vows but was essentially responsible for agricultural and industrial work in the monastery. Nunneries might have lay sisters attached to the house.
Leat	An open watercourse feeding water to a mill.
Lectio Divina	Divine reading. This describes a form of meditative reading through which the monk achieved communion with God.
Marcher lord	Anglo-Norman lords entrusted with guarding the border regions (Marches). They included the earls of Pembroke and Gloucester.
Marcher lordship	see Marcher lord
Matins	The Canonical Hour celebrated before Prime. This Office is now known as Lauds.
Mendicant	A reliance on charity or begging for subsistence; generally used for the Mendicant Orders such as the Franciscans and Dominicans.
Military Orders	See Knights Hospitaller; Knights Templar
Misericord	This literally means 'mercy' and was used to describe the room in the monastery where monks could eat meat since they were forbidden to eat meat in the refectory. This term was also used to describe the small wooden shelf under a monk's seat in the choir which allowed him to sit during long periods of prayer.
Mother house	The house which founded another was known as its mother house. Thus Strata Florida was the mother house of Llantarnam which it founded in 1179.
Moulding	Decorative strip of an arch, window or projection for ornamentation. Mouldings bring light and shade.
Narthax	A small porch at the west end of the church.
Nave	The main body of the church occupying the western part of the building.
Niche	Recess in a wall.
Nightstairs	A staircase that linked the monks' dormitory to their choir in the eastern part of the church; this provided a covered access to the church for the night Office of Vigils.
Nocturns	The Night Office which was traditionally celebrated at midnight, in accordance with Psalm 119: 162 'At midnight I rose to give thanks to Thee'. Nocturns is today known as Matins. In the later Middle Ages Matins and Lauds were collectively referred to as Vigils.
None	Canonical office celebrated at the ninth hour (mid-afternoon).
Nones	see None
Novice	Anyone who wished to become a monk of the house entered as a novice and during this time was a probationary member of the monastic community, usually for a year. He was guided and instructed by the novicemaster until he made his profession as a monk.
Novicemaster	The monastic official who had charge of the novices and provided them with advice and instruction.
Novitiate	The trial period that every newcomer had to undertake before he was admitted as a full member of the monastic community, during which he received instruction. This traditionally lasted for one year to allow time for the novice to be suitably assessed and to receive adequate training.
Obedientiary	A monastic office-holder who was entrusted with an aspect of the monastery's administration; for example, the cellarer looked after the provisions of the house and the sacrist was in charge of the church and timekeeping.
Opus Dei	see Canonical Hours
Order of Cluny	see Cluniac Order
Order of Friars Minor	see Fransicans
Order of Friars Preacher	see Dominicans
Prior	The head of a priory or the second-in command in an abbey. In a nunnery this position was occupied by the prioress.
Sext	Office celebrated at the sixth hour.
St Benedict	The Father of Western monasticism, he compiled a rule for his monks of Monte Cassino c. 480-550, known as the Rule of St Benedict. This became and remains the blueprint for Western monastic practice.
Terce	The third Office.
Vespers	Office celebrated at the approach of dusk.
Vigils	see Nocturns
Warming house	see Calefactory

Exterior of the Priory Church of St Mary, Beddgelert