The architecture of chapter house at Buildwas Abbey is Gothic in style and quite beautiful. It was from here that I was treated to that lovely musical surprise.
It is here where the monks would assemble every morning with the abbot presiding over the meeting:
This began with the reading of a lesson and a chapter from the Rule of St Benedict, after which saints and benefactors were commemorated and on certain feast days the abbot delivered a sermon. Matters of the abbey business and estate administration might then be discussed by the community. The chapter meeting was also the occasion when faults were confessed, accusations made and penances assigned. Monks who had transgressed the Rule might be expected to fast on bread and water; flogging was reserved for more serious breaches of discipline.*
The tiles in the bottom photograph are situated in the centre of the chapter house. This wasn’t there original location, but all the tiles are from Buildwas.
*Information from English Heritage guide book.
Now those are what I call ‘real’ tiles. Just the picture I was looking for last week!
(re my post on shapes)
They are quite something aren’t they?
Imagine the mind putting that tiling together.
Imagine the time it would take too
great shots here! that tiled floor is really interesting
Lovely pix. The tiles are especially beautiful. Did you know we (England) were famous for their design and production in those, far off days? And our ecclesiastical vestments & altar linen were famous for the quality of their embroidery (‘opus anglicanum’). No wonder William Morris found the middle ages so inspiring!