The Medieval Monastery Garden
Monastic Gardens as a Source of Food, Herbs and Medicine
The gardens of a medieval monastery could be a supply of food, herbs, medicine and also served as a spiritual retreat.
Many European monastic ruins are set in beautiful parkland. However, centuries ago, when these monasteries were operating as working places of worship, the monastic garden were less of a place of pleasure, than a way to provide the inhabitants of the monastery and its many guests with food and drink throughout the year.
Innovations in Gardening
The monks who made up Europe's religious communities were often at the forefront of new agricultural innovations and played a part in developing good practice in gardening and land management.
It may seem strange to imagine that a religious community, closed off by its own choice from the outside word, could be a gardening innovator. But monastic groups such as the Cistercians and Benedictines were part of a European network of religious houses. This meant that they made and received visits from other houses in their Order and were able to exchange ideas about how best to use the large estates that were owned by monasteries.
Supplying the Monastic Community
The monastic garden was at the heart of any community of monks. St Benedict had first endorsed the ideal of manual labour, to include gardening, in the 7th century. He said that all the necessities for monastic life should be supplied from within the monastery walls. This meant that the gardens should provide enough food, herbs and medicinal plants to supply the monks, servants and any guests throughout the year.
The cloister walk of a monastery was often centred around an open green space. Its main purpose was to allow the monks to stroll around the walkway, praying, thinking and meditating. They were able to benefit from the fresh air, but were protected from the elements by the cloister roof.
The central green cloister space did not usually contain flowers or plants but it was literally the centre of the community and a stroll in the cloister was an important part of the medieval monk’s day.
Using Garden Produce
The job of the cellarer within a monastery was one which brought him into close contact with the monastery gardens. Most of the produce he used in his job came from the land owned by his religious house. He was responsible for feeding the entire monastic community, including servants, as well as the steady stream of guests who visited the monastery or used it as a stopping off point on a journey or pilgrimage.
The fruit, vegetables and herbs produced in the gardens, as well as supplying the household with food and drink, were also used to make medicines and household goods. Surplus produce could be sold at local markets. The products of a typical monastery garden included herbs and plants such as lavender to freshen the rooms of guests and beeswax to make into candles for the chapel and domestic areas.
Manual Labour
Most monastic orders encouraged community labor and the gardens created in the monastery were used and enjoyed by all in the community. There is one order that differed, the Carthusians, founded by St Bruno in 1084. These monks lived as hermits, but within the protection of a monastery. They met only on Sundays and even then were only allowed to speak to each other when absolutely necessary.
Throughout the medieval period, Europe’s monasteries were excellent examples of how a community could operate almost self-sufficiently, using only the natural resources around them and the hard work and talents of those within the monastic order.
Sources
Burton, Janet. Monastic and Religious Orders in Britain 1000-1300 [Cambridge University Press, 1994]
Lawrence, CH. Medieval Monasticism, Longman Group Ltd, 1984
