1.  starter activity
To get round the enforced silence at mealtimes some monks developed an extremely complex sign language to communicate what they wanted. What do you think the following signs meant?
Waving the hand sideways
Rubbing the nose with your right hand
Drawing a circle in the air with the thumb and 2 fingers

2. Answers Waving the hand sideways meant fish
Rubbing the nose with your right hand meant mustard
Drawing a circle in the air with the thumb and 2 fingers meant bread

3. What was life like in a medieval monastery?

4. A monk at work on an illuminated manuscript
What did monks do?
Obeyed Rule of St Benedict
Prayed, worked, ate & slept together
Vows of poverty & chastity
4 types or orders: Benedictines, Cluniacs, Cistercians & Carthusians (silent)
A monk at work on an illuminated manuscript

5. What were the vows that monks made?
Spend his life in the service of God
Give away his property to others
Obey the abbot at all times
Wear a habit and sandals and have a tonsure
Stay in the monastery throughout his life
Remain celibate

6. Who worked in a monastery?
Abbot – Christ’s representative
Monks – services, prayers
Novices - trainees
Lay brothers – estate workers
Obedientaries - servants
Glastonbury Abbey

7. What did a monk do during the day?
Daily round of prayers & services
Special festivals, e.g. Christmas, Easter Day & Saints Days
Prayers for souls of wealthy patrons
Reading & illuminating
Daily meetings in chapter house
Fountains Abbey

8. Where did they work & live?
Click image for bigger version

9.  Your task
Write the diary entry for a medieval monk. It is a very busy day. Try to include as many references to the different things a monk would have done in a single day as you can and explain why they are important to life in a medieval monastery.
Limited range of references, e.g. to abbot, prayers
& sign language
Broad range of references to individuals, places, responsibilities, but entries lack detail and don’t really explain why they are important.
Broad range of references as well as detailed information on different types of prayers, different locations within monasteries, different types of monks, and explain why these things are important to the life of the monastery.

10.  Your task
Channel 4 have decided to produce a medieval reality game show based on life in a monastery. Use the ‘Big Brother’ format to create a short role play showing what a typical day in the life of a monastery must have been like. You may wish to include diary room entries, ‘Big Brother’ style tasks and even an interview with ‘Divina’!

11. Prayers & services Service Time Night office / Matins 12am Prime Dawn
Terce
Mid-morning
Sext
12pm
None
Mid-afternoon
Vespers
Late afternoon
Compline
Dusk

12. Obedientaries
These were men who were responsible for the day to day running of the monastery, and who ensured the Rule was followed to the letter. They included:
the cellarer (responsible for provisions),
the fraterer (crockery, linen & lavatorium)
the chamberlain (beds, clothing)
the almoner (charitable gifts to the poor)
the precentor (organisation of church services)
the sacrist (church furnishings)