dcas
First Post
Indeedy, it is Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists) who have brought us Chimay and Orval, among others.Dannyalcatraz said:Agriculturally, the Cistercians in particular are reknown for beers, wines, liquors, and cheeses. A jolly, rosy-cheeked brewmeister would not be out of place.
I would imagine that a monastery would be populated mostly by . . . monks. Some will be lay brothers and some will be priests. I would not expect to see experts, warriors, or commoners on the monastery grounds unless perhaps the monastery is known for hospitality and the experts, warriors, and commoners are on retreat or are passing through on their way somewhere else. In other words, they would be transients and not permanent residents. English monasteries would be notable for their hospitality . . . in pre-Reformation England inns were unknown because travelers could lodge at monasteries instead.
Of course the monks themselves could be experts on any number of topics, even if they are not necessarily related to the work they do in the cloister.
There is a fascinating portrait of a monastery in Walter Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz in which the monks' main task is to preserve scientific knowledge.