The choir of lay brothers
In the nave, which is now empty, were the seats of the lay brothers. Their offices did not consist of sung psalms, like those of the monks, but of a few prayers recited dozens of times.
Unlike the cross-vaulted aisles, the nave had ribbed vaults that allowed the walls to be raised higher, with larger arcades and taller windows: all of which are characteristic of the emerging Gothic architecture.
The quotation
‘I am surprised
that some of our abbots
show for the monks,
certainly,
great attention to discipline,
but none at all,
or very little,
for the converse brothers (...)
This is why,
just as we have mentioned it
the habits and customs of the monks,
in order to maintain unity
in our ways of doing things,
we have deemed it worthy to make known,
in a brief writing,
how appropriate it is
to look after the lay members,
both in material and spiritual matters.
Custom and usage of the lay Brothers (mid-12th century)
Lay brothers' usages, Prologue, 2 et 8, ed. Chrysogonus Waddell, Cistercian Lay Brothers
Twelfth-Century Usages with Related Texts, Brecht, 2000, p. 56.
The picture
Lay brothers
Tomb of Étienne d'Aubazine, 13th century (detail).
To go further
The last bay has central columns that reach down to the ground; at the corners of the pillars, engaged columns replace the protruding angles to better accommodate the capitals that support the ogives.
In the central nave, the columns resting on 4-metre-high cul-de-lampe columns make the pillars look like sections of wall: this is not a space for wandering, like the aisles, but rather one of stability, with the gaze turned towards the sanctuary.
Glossary
Office :
A time for religious prayer, constituting the main element of monastic life. In accordance with the Rule of St. Benedict, Cistercians observe seven collective monastic offices that punctuate the day and part of the night (vigils, lauds, prime, tierce, sexte, none, compline), plus the community mass (and, for those monks who are priests, at least one private mass).
Ribbed vault:
vault generally supported by two diagonally crossing arches, characteristic of the Gothic style.
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