Read the full text
Here we are in the middle of the large loggia, featuring twice as many arches as the cloister below, which you can admire from this vantage point. The loggia leads into the great chapter house, which can accommodate up to one hundred people. We will talk about the chapter house shortly. The loggia houses two small cells with grated windows. These were used as a sort of prison in which monks were detained for a time when they had to be punished and do penance for breaking the rules of the order and the community. From the loggia, it is possible to admire the windows of the cells, which were enlarged when the monastery became a hotel. The original windows, however, were very small, in typical monastic style, to shelter against the elements, but also because the cells’ half-light was believed to foster meditation and reflection.
Let us now stop just outside the chapter house.