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Roche Abbey: the warming house
The warming-house, or calefactory
as it was called, was situated on the southern range, between the
day-room and refectory. The warming-house was so named as a large
fire burned here all day long, making this one of the warmest spots
in the precinct, since the only other fires permitted were in the
infirmary and kitchen. At Roche there were two fires in the west
wall, which adjoined the refectory. The warming-house was used
by the monks to warm themselves, but the heat here meant that this
was an appropriate place for scribes to prepare ink for their parchment
and where shoes could be greased.
Bloodletting, a restorative treatment
that each monk received four times a year, was also carried out
here
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