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Layout of a Monastery or Abbey

Monasteries all have more in common than are different, although each new order made some changes and there are variations that are caused by geography.

The Benedictine Monastery is the basic model most in Britain are based on or developed from. The buildings of a Benedictine Abbey were uniformly arranged after one plan, except where geography makes changes essential. We don't now have a complete Abbey in Britain, so most plans we have are of a part of the site, but we do have very detailed information on the Swiss monastery of St Gall, erected about AD820, and its plan is of help when working out both what we can now see and identifying where the missing parts will be located. The following texts are based on, and largely extracts from, works in 1848, a lot of this was based on surviving early drawings.

Much of their arrangement is quite logical, most arranged around a covered cloister allowed movement in effect from building to building without getting wet. Cloisters to the south, so that the church that was far larger did not block the sunlight. Night quarters above and having a staircase into the church, loo block off the night quarters. Chapter house, usually the second most impressive part after the church and located on the east corridor of the cloister, next to the part of the church with the main alter. Often seats in the north of the cloister backing on to the church as this side has no rooms off and is also the lightest for reading. Hand washing area on the opposite side of the cloister or off it, next to dining area.

Visiting Abbots and Bishops would not have found any difficulty in finding their way around these large institutions.

Inside the church, the arrangement would be for two quires, the monks quire at the main alter end where you usually see a quire today, and further down the nave, separated by a screen the lay brothers quire. Both would be arranged with sections on each side facing the central isle. Processions were a major part of the church of this period, and you had a processional route from the great west door down the nave, and second entering through the south door from the cloisters at the point usually where the west isle of the cloisters connects to the church. Most churches today have two impressive entrances that mimic this ancient arrangement.

Benedictine Monastery of St Gall


The general distribution of the buildings are:-The church, with its cloister to the south, occupies the centre of a quadrangular area, about 430 feet (130m) square. The buildings, as in all great monasteries, are distributed into groups. The church forms the nucleus, as the centre of the religious life of the community. In closest connection with the church is the group of buildings appropriated to the monastic line and its daily requirements - the refectory for eating, the dormitory for sleeping, the common room for social intercourse, the chapter-house for religious and disciplinary conference.


The outer school, with its headmaster's house against the opposite wall of the church, stands outside the convent enclosure, in close proximity to the Abbot's house, that he might have a constant eye over them.

The buildings devoted to hospitality are divided into three groups, one for the reception of distinguished guests, another for monks visiting the monastery, a third for poor travellers and pilgrims. The first and third are placed to the right and left of the common entrance of the monastery, the hospitium for distinguished guests being placed on the north side of the church, not far from the Abbot's house, that for the poor on the south side next to the farm buildings. The monks are lodged in a guest-house built against the north wall of the church.


The buildings, with some exceptions, seem to have been of one storey only, and all but the church were probably erected of wood. The whole includes thirty three separate blocks.

Floor plan of Benedictine Monastery of St Gall
(Showing early design)

In this plan, east is at the top, north to the left, south to the right and west at the bottom. You might think of it in comparison to most churches where the west door would be, at the bottom and on entry you are facing the way the audience would sit facing the alter.

Missing in this plan, but found in most later ones is the chapter house, usually located on the eastern wing of the cloister. This would often be a large very fine room, of some height. A round room in at least some later cathedrals.

The necessary often called a re-redorter is the loo block, its location is usually next to and connected to the main dormitory, and arranged so as to have water flowing under it. The location may change with the geography.

A. High altar.
B. Altar of St Paul.
C. Altar of St Peter.
D. Nave.
E. Paradise.
F. Towers.
G. Cloister.
H. Calefactory, with
dormitory over.
I. Necessary.
J. Abbot's house.
K. Refectory.
L. Kitchen.
M. Bakehouse and
N. Cellar.
O. Parlour. (over.
P1. Scriptorium with library k,
P2. Sacristy and vestry.
Q. House of Novices--
1. chapel;
2. refectory;
3. calefactory;
4. dormitory;
5. master's room
6. chambers.
R. Infirmary--1--6 as above
    in the house of novices.
S. Doctor's house.
T. Physic garden.
U. House for blood-letting.
V. School.
W. Schoolmaster's lodgings.
X1X1. Guest-house for
     those of superior rank
X2X2. Guest-house for
     the poor.
Y. Guest-chamber for
     strange monks.
Z. Factory.
a. Threshing-floor
b. Workshops.
c, c. Mills.
d. Kiln.
e. Stables.
f. Cow-sheds.
g. Goat-sheds.
h. Pig-sties. i. Sheep-folds.
k, k. Servants and
workmen's sleeping-chambers
l,  Gardener's house
m, m. Hen and duck house.
n. Poultry-keeper's house.
o. Garden.
q. Bake house for

s, s, s. Kitchens.
t, t, t. Baths.

Lets look at the plan in detail

The church (D) is cruciform, with a nave of nine bays, and a semi-circular apse at either extremity. That to the west is surrounded by a semi-circular colonnade, leaving an open "paradise" (E) between it and the wall of the church. The whole area is divided by screens into various chapels. The high altar (A) stands immediately to the east of the transept, or ritual choir; the altar of Saint Paul (B) in the eastern, and that of St Peter (C) in the western apse. A cylindrical campanile stands detached from the church on either side of the western apse (FF).








Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey another Benedictine Abbey, identical in its general arrangements, so far as they can be traced, with those described above.



See Westminster Abbey for a detailed look at what it looks like today.


Image is a 1894 drawing

Later developments

The same basic design is usually able to be seen, but many were enlarged, and had extra chapels added, sometimes shrines, and with the Cistercian Abbeys you have divisions within the nave, separating  the nave, reserved for the lay brothers, and the choir and presbytery at the east end for the choir monks.

There are variations, some caused by geography, but usually only in minor changes, Tintern Abbey is different in that its back to front, with the cloisters to the north instead of the south.

Several of the feature guides have detailed descriptions of the abbey layouts, one that you may like to look at is the later Cistercian Abbey at Netley in Hampshire.

See Also:

Abbey and Religious Buildings Section for all articles, lists and location guides on Abbey's, Cathedrals, Churches, Holy Wells etc.


By: Keith Park Section: Abbey and Religious Buildings Key:
Page Ref: monastery_layout Topic: Abbeys Last Updated: 02/2011

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