The Chapter House: Readings and Rules

The chapter house was elaborate chamber used daily by the monks for meetings, during which the rule governing the strict life of the abbey was read.

_{^{The monks gathered in the chapter house for their daily meeting, presided over by the abbot. Drawing by Roger Hutchins © English Heritage Photo Library}}Each morning, the meeting started with the reading of a chapter from the Rule of St. Benedict, the supreme guide for monastic life. The Cistercian order had been founded in 1098 with the specific intention of a closer adherence to this Rule. 

According to the Rule, monastic life was very simple, based around a daytime routine of study, prayer and manual work. At night, the monks slept in a large communal dormitory.

View of the chapter house from the cloister © English Heritage Photo LibraryCistercian monks rejected all sources of luxury and wealth. They wore undyed coarse wool habits, giving rise to their popular name, the ‘white monks’. They also rejected undershirts and breeches, survived on a meagre vegetarian diet and followed a strict rule of silence.

To keep away from the temptations of the rest of the world, Cistercian abbeys were built in remote locations. 

Although hard to imagine today, Netley was once such an isolated place, largely surrounded by dense wood and heathland.