Kitchen and oven

Finished right at the start of the construction of the monastery and used during the 15th Century as a kitchen, refectory and oven when the monastery housed few monks.

Finished right at the start of the construction of the monastery and used during the 15th Century as a kitchen, refectory and oven when the monastery housed few monks.

The refectory was subsequently transferred to another room, as the number of monks started to increase from the 16th Century onwards. This room was still used as a kitchen and oven, where bread was baked every week.

The monks were fed frugally with the fruit and vegetables from the monastery’s orchard, eggs from the farm and milk from goats, sheep and cows from the stable; occasionally they were allowed to eat some of their chickens, except during lent.

They were not allowed to talk among themselves while eating, and instead had to listen to a monk reading from various pious books.

It is a single quadrangular nave, supported by four cross arches, with four groin vaults in the corners. The kitchen itself is noted for its 15th Century tiles and the Moorish oven.