Refectory

In Russia

In Orthodox monasteries, the refectory ( dr. Greek τράπεζα ) is considered a sacred place, and even in some cases it is built as a church with an altar and an iconostasis . Some services are held in the refectory. Inside the refectory there is always at least one icon with a lamp burning in front of it. All food that is served in the refectory must be blessed , often for this, blessed water is stored in the kitchen.

In Russian monasteries, refectory as special rooms appeared in the 15th century after the introduction of the communal charter . In Russia in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the refectory had large single-pillar, two-pillar, or pillarless halls. Outside, the refectory chamber could have open terraces, huts , stairs, a porch. The refectory was often richly decorated.

According to Paul Aleppo , “in the monasteries of Moscow land ... they are most of all vain for the grandeur, size and vastness of the refectory premises” ^[3] .

So, the four-story building of the refectory of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery (1652-1654) is an outstanding achievement of Russian architecture of the 17th century and one of the largest stone buildings of its time ^{[4] [5]} . In a white-stone basement , deepened by 6 m into the ground, a glacier was placed and there was a well 15 m deep. On the second floor there was a kitchen, around which there were cells for ministers. On the third floor there was a dining room proper, covered with cross vaults with an area of ​​about 500 m² (for comparison, the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin is 495 m²). The refectory was illuminated “round” by windows, with glass, and not with mica . The chamber was heated by the pipes of kitchen stoves passing through the walls. The monastery treasury was kept on the top floor. The front facade of the refectory had architectural decorations, in particular, a cornice , which was a novelty for the 17th century. In 1806, after the floors of the fourth floor collapsed, the building was heavily rebuilt. In the XX century, the scientific restoration of the monument was carried out ^[6] .

Other famous refectory include the refectory of the Simonov Monastery (architect Osip Startsev , 1677-1683) and the Trinity-Sergius Lavra . The refectory of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (1686–1692) was one of the most grandiose thanks to the huge (70 x 18 m, that is 1260 m²) pillarless two-light vaulted hall.

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  The refectory of the Savvino-Storozhevsky monastery (1652-1654)
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  Refectory of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (1686–1692)
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  The “new” refectory of the Simonov Monastery with the Church of the Holy Spirit (1677–1683, I. Potapov , Osip Startsev )
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  The refectory of the Simonov Monastery , western facade

At present, refectory ( canteens ), both for reasons of evangelistic piety and for the requirements of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service standards , are arranged outside the church. Often, for the refectory , one of the suitable premises of the canteen house stands out.

In medieval Europe

The refectory of the Catholic monasteries varies in size and decoration, depending on the abundance of the monastery and era, but have some common features. The monks dined at long tables, sitting on benches. At the end of the hall on a hill there were places for honorary and important persons. A washstand or bowl for washing hands before eating was usually outside the hall.

In England, the hall was often in the basement (perhaps in memory of the Last Supper ) opposite the church. In the Benedictine monasteries it was located from west to east, and among the Cistercians - from north to south.

In some monasteries there were separate halls for the clergy , converses , choir, etc. Special refectory halls were sometimes erected for visitors to the monastery or for the abbot to receive honored guests.

In the refectory, in addition to dining tables and benches, there is usually a pulpit with a music stand for a reader of life-saving books during a meal, a vessel for holy water, and sometimes a throne for worship. In some monasteries there are two refectories - one for the summer season, the other for the winter season.

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  Refectory, Convento de Cristo , Portugal
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  Summer Baroque Refectory, Monastery of Saints Peter and Markellin, Zeligenstadt
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  Refectory. Painting by Alessandro Magnasco , 1736-1737

Room for a joint meal in the monastery building, reserved for household needs and cells .

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  The plan of the first floor of the Cathedral of the Nativity Monastery ( Rostov ). No. 3 - meal ^[7]
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  Fragment of the project of the superiors of the cells. Nativity Monastery ( Rostov ). On the ground floor there is a bakery, a bakery, a canopy, a kitchen, a cell and a meal ^[8]

Refectory // Wikipedia in English ( GFDL license ; revision history of the source ) ./ Translation into Russian as of October 4, 2016

Refektorium // Wikipedia in German ( GFDL license ; revision history of the source ) ./ Translation into Russian as of October 4, 2016

• Melnik A. G. On the origin of a three-part architectural composition (church-refectory-bell tower) // Monuments of history and culture of the Upper Volga region. - N. Novgorod , 1991 .-- S. 211-216.