At the Heart of the Abbey

At the Heart of the Abbey. Abbey Quarter. You are now at the heart of the monks' private quarters, at one corner of the cloister. This was a large square courtyard, 44 metres across., It was surrounded by a covered walkway, bounded by ornately carved stone columns You can see some of the carvings and a reconstruction of the columns at Reading Museum. To your left the walkway led to the abbey church. Just to your right it led to the refectory (dining hall)., Eating and meeting , The refectory was a large space where dozens of people could sit at one time. It was used by medieval monarchs as well as the monks. In 1185 King Henry II came here to meet Heraclius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Heraclius wanted Henry to lead an army to Jerusalem, which was threatened with attack by Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, but Henry refused., In the 15th century, when there was an outbreak of plague in London, Parliament met here. The Commons used the chapter house and the Lords used the refectory. , Patriarch: a Christian church leader similar to an archbishop., Chapter house: Where the monks held daily meetings about the running of the abbey. See the panel to your left for more about the Chapter House. , Refectory: The monks ate all their meals in this spacious hall. The large wall behind and to your right was part of the refectory. , Cellarer's range: Wine, beer and other supplies were stored in this area. , Lavatorium: An area where monks washed their hands and faces to prepare for church services and meals. , Scriptorium: The south facing side of the cloister got more sun than the other sides. Monks sat here to read or copy books., Monks drank beer or wine with their meals. Beer was a healthy choice in medieval times because it was made with boiled water, so it had fewer germs than water from rivers and wells.