SHORTCUT TO THE CHURCH
The sleeping quarters were originally a large dormitory-style room where all monks slept together. As is typical of Benedictine monasteries, the dormitory was located on the second floor of the east wing, near the church. The monks could access the transept directly via the dormitory stairs. This shortcut made it easier to attend nightly choral prayers. Monks' cells are pictured as being small, cold and bare, but this was not always the case, as demonstrated in Alpirsbach Monastery.