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The layout of the church
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A Cistercian church was characterised by its
layout, which represented and reinforced distinctions within the
monastery. It was cruciform in shape. The nave was divided into
bays and altars were situated in the side arms. A square-ended presbytery
stood beyond the crossing, slightly raised and set apart from the
rest of the church. A defining feature of the Cistercian Order was
its incorporation of two communities, the monks and the lay-brothers.
The monks occupied the eastern part of the church, the lay-brothers
the western half; each had their own choir. A large partition, the
rood screen, separated the two. Further distinctions according to
status and function were marked by sub-divisions that separated
the sick from the well, participants from servers, members of the
Order from outsiders. Whilst physically separated, the two communities
were linked by a door in the rood screen that connected the choirs.
On certain occasions, for instance, at the close of a funeral, the
lay-brothers might enter the monks retrochoir;(4)
they may even have entered the presbytery at the Blessing
of the Water on Sundays. Divisions were, therefore, not absolute,
but in general the two communities would have remained separate
and, at least visually, unaware of the others presence. The
lay-brothers would have heard the monks celebrating the liturgy,
but recited their own devotions in silence.
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