Monastic feasts and meals: some materials for the history of medieval Russian monasticism of the 11th - 13th centuries

One of the key elements in the life of a medieval Russian monastery was the refectory meal. It included a particular ritual aspect, and the consumption of various foodstuffs had not only a utilitarian but also a religious purpose. This monastic practice was well grounded in the early Christian tradition and even, in part, continued its ideals. Monastic typica preserved and furthered the continuation of such traditions; among them the Studite Typicon is the best known. It is quite possible that the strict regulation of the amount and type of food consumed not only enlarged the sphere of the sacred, but also made monastic life more disciplined. The common meal also strengthened the ideals of cœnobitic monasticism. On the other hand, the Abbot, his assistants, and those monks who had sacred orders were separated from the general community. In summary, a description of monastic meals offers us much of interest about the internal life of monasteries, their provisions, the ideals that reigned in the hearts and minds of monks, and the various social norms and problems that existed in a monastic community. In the present article, the phenomenon of Russian monastic meals is described for the period of the 11th to 13th centuries, and, based on this analysis, a partial reconstruction of the lifestyle of Russian medieval monasticism is offered.