The daily cycle: a general outline

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Artist's impression of lay-brothers celebrating the Office in the forge
© Cistercians in Yorkshire
<click to enlarge>

Much of the lay-brothers’ day was spent working in the fields or in the workshops and courts within the abbey precinct. The brethren also celebrated the seven daily Offices and the night office of Vigils. Their offices were shorter and simpler than the monks’ and essentially consisted of a series of Our Fathers, the Credo in Deum and the Miserere Mei which were learnt by heart, for lay-brothers were not allowed to learn from books.(13) When and where the lay-brothers celebrated the Hours depended on the time of year as well as the occasion. For example, on Sundays and feast days when the lay-brothers did not generally work, they celebrated all the Offices in the church and attended Mass, just like the monks. On normal workdays in winter they simply celebrated Vigils and the last Office of Compline in the church, and recited the other Offices at the workplace. In summer the lay-brothers enjoyed a slightly longer lie in since they, unlike the monks, did not have an afternoon siesta. They rose when the monks were celebrating Lauds, recited the Offices of Vigils, Lauds and Prime one after the other and then left the church to begin the day’s work. The other Offices were celebrated at their workplace and the lay-brothers did not return to the abbey until after Compline, by which point it was time for bed. The whole community followed a different routine during harvest when everybody was required to work in the fields. After Prime the monks and lay-brothers picked up their tools, left for work and did not return until sunset. They recited the Offices and ate their meals in the fields.

The lay-brothers generally returned to their refectory in the western range for meals and were served the same food as the monks, at the same time. Whereas the monks attended a daily chapter-meeting the lay-brothers usually only met once a week, on a Sunday, but might gather more frequently to receive a new recruit. In the following screens you can explore these and other aspects of the lay-brothers ’ life in greater detail.