The lay-brother / conversus

Artist's impression of a laybrother
© Cistercians in Yorkshire Project
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The lay-brothers were full members of the Cistercian community, but formed a separate group from the monks and had their own quarters within the precinct and in the church. They celebrated some of the Offices in the church but spent most of their day carrying out agricultural and industrial work, either within the precinct or on the abbey’s granges. For example, some were shepherds or cowherds, others were blacksmiths or tanners. The lay-brothers did not read and their Offices were shorter and simpler than the those chanted by the monks.

Whant to know more? You can read more about the lay-brothers.

You can find out more about what it was like to be a laybrother by playing our day in the life of a laybrother game.

Did the lay-brothers dress the same as the monks?
The lay-brothers looked different to the monks; they did not have the crown of their heads shaved in a tonsure, and they generally wore beards. They dressed more like peasants than monks, and wore practical clothing for work.

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