Less is Enough: On Architecture and Asceticism

by Pier Vittorio Aureli

Within the monastery, form follows function in the strictest way possible. Like a functionalist building, the typical form of the medieval monastery is simply an extrusion of the ritual activities that take place within. If we observe the plan of the monastery we see a perfect coincidence of time and space: each segment of the day is ritualised through a specific activity that takes place in a specific part of the monastery. The introverted space of the cloister, the point of access to most of the facilities, gives a precise form to communal life and the sense of sharing, while the simple unobstructed rectangular plan of the chapterhouse defines the gathering together of the monks in the most essential way. The dormitories are large rooms divided into cubicles by fabric. The cubicles offer a measure of privacy but at the same time the light materiality of the walls, which can be removed, is a reminder that individual space is always the sharing of a larger collective space.