Brunnenhaus (monastery)
The well house of the Maulbronn Monastery
The well house , also lavatorium (from lavare (Latin) = to wash) or well chapel, was the washroom in medieval monasteries that was usually prescribed by the rules of the order . It was usually located opposite the refectory (dining room) on the inside of the cloister and protruded into the cloister courtyard. The fountain house contained a fountain bowl that was fed with running water. The fountain house was used by the monks to wash their hands before meals and to cut the tonsure every week . The well house itself is therefore sometimes referred to as a tonsure .
Well houses were sometimes artistically richly decorated.
Individual evidence
literature
- Rolf Legler : Temple of Water: Fountains and well houses in the monasteries of Europe , Stuttgart: Belser, 2005
Web links
Commons : Brunnenhaus - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
