A Medieval Monk

Monks lived apart from the rest of the community in monasteries or convents.
They followed strict rules and prayed. Before 1000 AD monks would take
sacred vowels of poverty, fasting and separation from society. But these were
forgotten as the church became rich.

St. Bernard Clairvous, the leader of the Cistercian monks re-emphasised the
kind of lifestyle monks were expected to lead. Many other orders of monks
followed his lead. St. Bernard emphasised the strict rules of work, fasting and
prayer. The rich clothing was replaced by a white habit.

Before a man became a monk he would have to spend a year in a monastery as

a novice and learn the rules and discipline of the monastic life. After a year of
training the novice became a monk by taking a vow that he would obey rules
of the monastery. The monk then had to have his head shaven into a tonsure.

Monks spent the day praying, farming, cooking and caring for the sick and
poor. They prayed eight times a day. They rose in the early hours of the
morning for prayers called ‘matins’. They were followed by others at dawn
called ‘lauds’. Prayers in the memory of Christ’s crucifixion and death were said
in the afternoon. Evening prayers are called ‘vespers’.

The monastery had many buildings including a church, a chapter house (this
was for daily meetings, and a refectory ( a dining room for the monks). There
was a cloister in the centre of the monastery, this was a enclosed area where
monks could walk and pray in silence. The monks would sleep in a long narrow
room called a dormitory or beehive huts. Only the Abbot had his own room.
Monasteries were not only a place of prayer, they were also hospitals, poor
houses and inns. The monasteries also had infirmarys that had a infirmarian.
An infirmarian was a monk in charge of keeping a record of all herbs that
worked and became expert on recognising different illnesses. They also had a
scriptorium where ancient manuscripts were copied.

The monastery was self-sufficient. The monks grew and made everything they
needed. Cereals and vegetables were grown and goats were reared for meat
and milk. Monks made their own chairs, baked their own bread and brewed
beer and wine.