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The lay-brothers' choir (6/8)
The lay-brothers’ choir occupied six bays of the nave in the western part of the church. Whenever the lay-brothers celebrated their Hours in the church they would have occupied inward-facing wooden choir stalls, similar to those used by the monks. For the Mass and the Hours the seniormost lay-brother sat nearest the altar. This order was reversed when the brethren assembled in the church after dinner, for grace. A partition known as the rood screen, separated the lay-brothers’ half of the church from the area used by the monks. A central door in the screen would have allowed for some contact between the two communities, but essentially they remained apart. The lay-brothers celebrated their Hours in silence whenever they were in the church which meant that the monks would have hardly been aware of their presence. Whilst the lay-brothers would have heard the monks chanting the offices they would have seen little of what went on beyond the rood screen. Like the choir monks the lay-brothers also had two entrances to the church, one which they used to access the church during the day, the other to enter their choir at night, to celebrate the office of Vigils. |
