A lavatorium (plural ''lavatoria''), also

anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

as laver and lavatory, was the communal washing area in a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, particularly in medieval abbeys and cathedral

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s were required to wash before meals; thus the lavatorium was typically adjacent to the

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...

Description

All monastic orders required

handwashing Hand washing (or handwashing), also known as hand hygiene, is the act of cleaning one's hands with soap or handwash and water to remove viruses, bacteria, microorganisms, dirt, grease, and other harmful or unwanted substances stuck to the han ...

before meals. A lavatorium was therefore provided near the refectory, either against one wall of the cloister with a long trench basin, or as a free-standing building with a circular or octagonal basin in the centre. An example of the first type, dating to the 14th century, survives at

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...

, and has a towel cupboard nearby. At

Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...

, the lavatorium was a square building with a circular basin which was replaced in 1432–33 with one of marble. At

Wenlock Priory Wenlock Priory, or St Milburga's Priory, is a ruined 12th-century monastery, located in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, at . Roger de Montgomery re-founded the Priory as a Cluniac house between 1079 and 1082, on the site of an earlier 7th-century m ...

, the octagonal lavatorium, now ruined, was decorated with late-12th-century carved panels including one of Jesus with the apostles at the Sea of Galilee. There were sometimes taps; at Wenlock Priory, the water spouted from animal heads mounted on the central pillar. Running water was supplied in lead pipes, and where there were taps they were bronze, although in most cases in England metal fittings have been removed since the dissolution of the monasteries. The monks' towels were kept nearby in cupboards called aumbries (derived from the Latin ''armarium'' or from Medieval Latin ''almarium''). The Refectorian was responsible for keeping the lavatorium clean and ensuring it contained sand and a whetstone for the monks to sharpen their knives, and for changing the towels twice a week.Gasquet
pp. 78–79

Gallery

File:Carving,_Wenlock_Priory.jpg, Jesus calling the fishermen; 12th-century carving from the lavatorium at

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

File:Carved arcade in the Lavatorium - geograph.org.uk - 1226728.jpg, Arcade in the former lavatorium,

Kirkham Priory The ruins of Kirkham Priory are situated on the banks of the River Derwent, Yorkshire, River Derwent, at Kirkham, North Yorkshire, Kirkham, North Yorkshire, England. The Augustinians, Augustinian priory was founded in the 1120s by Walter l'Esp ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

(12th–13th century) File:SintBaafsGent 27-07-2008 16-52-24.JPG, 12th-century lavatorium at the

Abbey of St Bavo Saint Bavo's Abbey () is a former abbey in the currently Belgian city of Ghent. It was founded in the 7th century by Saint Amand, who also founded Saint Peter's Abbey, Ghent, near the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. Originally, the ab ...

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

, Belgium File:Thoronet Lavabo.JPG, 12th-century lavatorium at Thoronet Abbey in

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

, France File:Rueda - Claustro - Lavatorio con sala de calefacción al fondo.jpg, 13th-century lavatorium at

Rueda Abbey Rueda Abbey or Rueda de Ebro Abbey (, or the "Royal Monastery of Our Lady of the Wheel") is a former Cistercian monastery in Sástago in the Ribera Baja del Ebro comarca, province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, 74 kilometres to the south-east of Zara ...

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

, Spain File:Maulbronn Kloster Kreuzgang Brunnenhaus 5.jpg, 14th-century lavatorium at

Maulbronn Monastery Maulbronn Monastery () is a former Cistercian abbey and ecclesiastical state in the Holy Roman Empire located at Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg. The monastery complex, one of the best-preserved in Europe, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

, Germany, exterior File:Maulbronn Kloster Kreuzgang Brunnenhaus Innen Brunnen 2.jpg, Maulbronn Monastery lavatorium, interior File:Caen abbayeauxdames lavatorium est.JPG, Lavatorium at

Abbaye aux Dames An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

, France

References

{{Reflist, 30em Christian monastic architecture History of water supply and sanitation Water and Christianity

Description

Gallery

See also

References