Meals and Prayers in the Teutonic Convent
The daily life of the Teutonic brethren was structured by two principal rhythms: the rhythm of the canonical hours in the chapel, and the rhythm of the meals in the refectory. The two rhythms were, under the Statuten, a single liturgical rhythm, in which the prayers of the chapel and the meals of the refectory were the two principal elements of the brethren’s day. The two rhythms are the subject of the present article, in the broader context of the daily life of the brethren in the convent castle. For the broader context, see the article on the daily rules and life in the Order.
The Canonical Hours in the Chapel
The day of the brethren began with the night office of Matins, sung in the chapel of the convent castle at the appropriate hour of the night, in the small hours of the morning. The office of Matins was a substantial liturgical act, comprising a number of psalms, antiphons, lessons, and responsories, and was sung in choir by the assembled brethren. After a brief rest in the dormitory, the brethren rose again for the office of Lauds at dawn, the principal morning office, sung with particular solemnity. Lauds was followed by the office of Prime, and Prime by the offices of Terce, Sext, and None, sung at the customary hours of the day.
The office of Vespers was sung in the late afternoon, the principal evening office, and Vespers was followed, in the late evening, by the office of Compline, the night office of the close of day, sung with particular solemnity. Compline was followed by a brief period of private prayer, after which the brethren retired to the dormitory. The whole liturgical round comprised some five to seven hours of formal liturgical recitation, and the liturgical burden of the brethren was, by modern standards, very heavy.
The Daily Mass
In addition to the canonical hours, the brethren attended the daily Mass, celebrated in the chapel of the convent castle. The daily Mass was the principal liturgical act of the day after the canonical hours, and was, in many cases, a conventual Mass celebrated by the senior priestly brother of the convent. The daily Mass was attended by all the brethren of the convent, and was, in many cases, attended by representatives of the lay population of the surrounding district.
The daily Mass was a sung Mass, accompanied by the customary liturgical chants, the customary incense, and the customary ceremonial of the Latin liturgy. On Sundays and on the principal feast days, the daily Mass was followed by the customary procession, the customary sermon, and the customary blessing of the brethren. The lay population of the surrounding district was, in many cases, admitted to the chapel for the daily Mass, and was, in many cases, a central element of the liturgical life of the convent.
The Order of the Tables in the Refectory
The brethren’s meals were taken in the refectory of the convent castle. The refectory was a large hall, usually adjacent to the kitchen and the brewhouse, and was furnished with long wooden tables and benches. The brethren sat according to a customary order, with the senior brethren at the high table and the junior brethren and the serving brothers at the side tables. The Komtur, or his deputy, presided at the high table, and the order of the tables reflected the constitutional order of the convent.
The Reader at Table
Throughout the meal, a reader — usually a priestly brother — read aloud from a devotional book. The reader sat at a lectern, on a slightly raised platform, at the head of the refectory, and the reader read in a clear voice, audible to the whole of the refectory. The reader , was the principal voice of the meal.
The reader read, in the customary practice, from the Bible, from the fathers of the Church, from the customary devotional literature of the Order, and from the customary chronicles of the Order’s history. The reader was required to be a priestly brother, and was, in many cases, the most learned priestly brother of the convent.
The Customary Diet
The customary diet of the brethren was simple, and was, a central element of the vow of poverty. The customary diet was bread, beer, fish or salted meat, vegetables in season, cheese, and porridge. The bread was baked in the convent bakery, the beer was brewed in the convent brewhouse, the fish was caught in the local rivers and lakes or was salted for the winter, and the salted meat was supplied from the Order’s own flocks and herds.
Meat was eaten only on Sundays, on feast days, and on certain other specified occasions. On the other days, the brethren ate fish or vegetables. The customary vegetables of the brethren’s diet were cabbage, turnips, beans, peas, onions, garlic, and leeks. The customary drink of the brethren was beer, and the brethren were allowed a customary ration of beer at each meal. The diet was, under the Statuten, sufficient for the brethren’s health, simple in accordance with the vow of poverty, and orderly in accordance with the monastic tradition.
The Discipline of the Refectory
The refectory was governed by a strict discipline of silence. The brethren did not speak at table, and the only voice in the refectory was the voice of the reader. The brethren were required to maintain a reverent posture at table, to eat in a sober and orderly manner, and to consume the customary portions. The discipline of the refectory was enforced by a Refektorar (refectory monitor), appointed by the Komtur from among the more senior brethren.
The day included two principal meals. The first meal, the Frühstück, was a light meal taken in the morning, after the office of Prime. The second meal, the Hauptmahlzeit or Konventsmahl, was the principal meal of the day, taken in the early afternoon. The brethren took a light supper in the evening, after the office of Vespers. The meals , were the principal social occasions of the convent.
Sources
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Perlbach, Max, ed. Die Statuten des Deutschen Ordens nach den ältesten Handschriften. Halle: Niemeyer, 1890.
- Strehlke, Ernst, ed. Tabulae ordinis Theutonici. Berlin: Weidmann, 1869.
Related Reading
For the broader context of the daily life, see the parent pillar on the structure and daily life of the Order and the article on the daily rules and life in the Order. For the formal statutes, see the article on the Statuten of the Order. For the building in which the meals were taken, see the article on convent castles. For the monastic context, see the article on the Rule of St Augustine and the article on the three monastic vows. For the habit worn at meals, see the article on the black cross of the Order.