THE ABBEY OF FONTEVRAULT


The Chapterhouse

This space served as the chapter-house, a meeting place for the chapter or governing body of the monastery.
west ??end

The ceiling of this spacious room is a quadrapartite ribbed vault. It is a groined vault, created by the intersection of two barrel vaults.
 

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Along the walls, the arches are supported on corbels rather than on columns.




The Refectory
The refectory is the dining-room of a monastery.

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The ceiling has a six-part vault over every bay. Along the walls,
the arches are supported on corbels rather than on columns.

The Kitchen

This 12th century structure is the only remaining Romanesque kitchen in France, though a similar structure is extant in Glastonbury, England. It contains five of its original eight apsides (half-rounded apses  which were originally  chapels), each with a conical turret. The top of the structures is covered by a  pyramidal roof, which is surrounded by small tower-chimneys. At the apex is by an open-air lantern tower pierced with lancets.


Rear
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Entrance
 


All text, images and computer code are copyrighted by Dr. Alison Stones

Last updated by: Jane Vadnal & Graham Whitlow, Date : June 22, 2004


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FONTEVRAULT
MAIN
PAGE
FONTEVRAULT
CHURCH
EXTERIOR
FONTEVRAULT
CHURCH
INTERIOR
FONTEVRAULT
TOMBS

FONTEVRAULT
CLOISTER
FONTEVRAULT
PLANS

XX

FRANCE