Includes bibliographical references (pages 345-358) and index.
Who were the lay brothers? -- Manual labor of monks before the lay brothers -- Illiterati -- Barbati -- Two monasteries within the precincts of the monastery -- "Assigned to plows and mattocks" -- Separate but equal -- Vitae of lay brothers and lay brothers in vitae -- Virtues and vices -- The onslaught of demons -- Visions of the other world -- Not conversi but perversi -- Decline and near extinction.
The institution of the lay brotherhood was not original to the Cistercians, but they developed it to its fullest extent. Although lay, the conversi were under the same vows as monks and represented a new form of religious life. While monks were bound to the recitation of the Divine Office, the lay brothers were dedicated to a life of toil and acted as the monks' auxiliaries. Their contribution to the spiritual and material life of the Cistercian Order was immense. By consideration of tales from the exemplum literature, evidence from general chapter statutes, and information on the architectural provisions made for the lay brothers in the abbey and on the outlying granges, this book puts flesh on the bare bones of a life directed by their own Usages. The book is richly illustrated with images from manuscripts, stained glass, and architectural sculpture.