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A refectory is a communal dining room in monasteries, schools or convents where nuns and monks share meals. It’s usually a large open room close to the kitchen with long tables and benches. The contemporary use of the word is mostly heard in the UK, while some old church refectories are now open to the public as restaurants.
A refectory is a common dining room in a monastery, school or convent. It is the only place where nuns and monks share limited social time because the rest of the day is usually devoted to work or prayer. Usually a large open room with long tables and benches or chairs, the refectory is close to the kitchen to allow food to be served easily. Modern convents and colleges have similar arrangements and some old church refectories are now open to the public.
In medieval monasteries the refectory was sometimes called a frater, a Latin word meaning brother. Frater house or fratery were other terms used for the place where the friars gathered for their simple meals. The kitchen and a butter or dairy would be nearby. Beyond these rooms was usually a convenient kitchen garden. Outside the room was a washbasin or basin for washing hands.
Medieval convents also had refectories. A large wealthy monastery or convent would have a large refectory with windows and long benches where the monks or nuns ate. Bellapais Abbey in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus had a spectacular refectory, measuring almost 99 meters by 33 metres. Eastern Orthodox refectories, or trapezes, were considered almost as sacred as the church itself and often housed an altar and precious religious icons.
The abbess or abbot and visiting dignitaries usually sat at a raised table at the front of the room. A lector was employed to read aloud relevant Gospels, a sermon or sermon while the monks or nuns ate, and was usually seated in a pulpit or alcove adjacent to the refectory. Meals were eaten in silence, except on special occasions, such as holidays or festivities, when talking was permitted. Modern monasteries and convents may be in newer buildings with updated facilities, but the same rules of conduct usually apply.
The contemporary use of the word refectory relating to a dining room is found largely in the United Kingdom and is mostly heard in universities. Boarding schools may still refer to their dining spaces as refectories, but the word cafeteria prevails and a decidedly more casual atmosphere prevails. Seating is the same, with long tables and benches or chairs. The Church of England has several cathedrals and abbeys which have converted their old refectories into cafés for extra income. These restaurants, along with monasteries and convents that allow tourists to stay as paid overnight guests, offer the dining experience of the refectory to more than just the religious.
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