L O A D I N G

Refectory

The large hall used for Benedictine’s communal dining is located in the traditional quadrangle’s south wing place.

The refectory location and size never changed unless the community was too small. Then it gathered in another smaller room that was easier to heat. It was called the "winter refectory".

On the other hand, the monastery kitchen has changed its location over the years. In the Baroque period, there were two kitchens: the abbot’s kitchen in the west wing and the monk’s kitchen in the building’s southeast corner. The kitchen was not always in close proximity to the refectory, probably to prevent kitchen‘s noise disturbing the concentration of the dining monks.

The meal had a ceremonial character, one of the monks read a selected text to the others to also fulfill the requirement of spiritual nourishment. The communal feast symbolically referred to the Last Supper of Christ.

...you can travel back through time by swiping

...you can travel back through time by swiping

HISTORY
PRESENT

Did you know that...?

According to the well-known Prague legend linked to the Emmaus Monastery, the devil disguised as a cook tempted the monks to debauchery. However, he was exposed by the abbot and banished in such a way that he had to leave the monastery immediately: he flew out of the window in the form of a black rooster. The timing of the legend is not known, so we cannot exactly tell the location of the "devil's kitchen", nor through which window the exposed devil left the monastery.