Monastic life revolved around scheduled prayer, study, and work, activities performed in accordance with monastic vows. During a typical day, group and individual prayers and religious studies occupied about eight or nine hours and about six hours were allocated for physical labor, leaving nine or ten hours for eating and sleeping.

People inside the monastery carried out different roles and jobs, working together to fulfill the mission of the monastery and make it as self-sufficient as possible. In large monasteries, a great many people, not all of them monks, filled various roles to keep things running smoothly.

Managing Provisions

One or more monks were in charge of food and other provisions, which were stored in the granaries, barns, and cellars of a monastery. A monk called the cellarer handled these matters, as well as the buildings and rooms that were used for agricultural purposes. At times...