community chapter, monastery, chapter room

community chapter

The community of priests from the environment of bishops or archbishops, which was an advisory body (the so-called residential chapter), or the active community of secular priests (not monks) of the parish, without leaders, who performed the common sung prayers (office) together, besides their legal and administrative duties. The members of the chapter, the canons were the kernel of the choir which performed the singing liturgy, and this was supplemented by boy singers of the school maintained by the chapter. Certain chapters played a very important role until the end of the Middle Ages in preserving liturgic traditions.

JM

monastery

The most important parts of the Franciscan church and monastery of Visegrád:

1. church

A) chancel the place of the altar, where the holy mass was performed

B) choir the place of the monks, where the office was performed eight times a day, every three hours

C) chancel partitioner the borderline of church and secular people; its name came from the Latin, 'lettner', which originates from the word lectorium, because the readings were read from here

D) nave the place of the church-goers, where they could watch the ceremonies and sermons held in the chancel. Originally the preaching was not part of the service, so it was often performed from the permanent temporary pulpit set in the square in front of the church (especially if a famous preacher visited the town).

2. monastery

a) sacristy

a bigger room next to the chancel of the church, which was used for storing altar equipment, liturgic clothes and books. In the late Middle Ages it was also used as a chapel. It was connected to the church through a small corridor. In Visegrád originally one could go from here into a room on the first floor, where the valuables of the monastery, especially inflammable ones, might have been kept. Later the tower was built onto this.

b) tower

the place of bells; the Franciscans only had one tower - like here - at the meeting point of the chancel and the nave

c) chapter room

originally it was the daily meeting place of monks, where the leader of the community discussed the daily activities, important events of the life of the convent with the members, and punished the sinners. A small chapel appeared relatively early at the eastern wall, and in the late Middle Ages the whole room was turned into a chapel. From the earliest times this was the most beautiful part of monasteries. In Visegrád the chapter room had the most richly decorated vault.

d) walk-around corridor

from the 12th century monasteries were usually formed around a convent square. Rooms could be reached from the walk-around corridor, which was also a popular place for monks, where they walked alone or with a partner, or they sat down with a book. Stone benches under the windows or next to the wall were put there for this purpose.

BR

chapter room

The auditorium of monasteries, residential- or communal chapters, where matters of the community were discussed. Before the meetings a chapter from the regulations of the community (capitulum) was read, and this is where the name of the room came from. A major part of the common offices were held in the chapter room, so it was formed as a chapel, or a separate chapel was joined to it.

GB