Refectory

A refectory is a place where monks eat meals together.
Camaldolese monks eat in their hermitages on a daily basis. They use the refectory only ocassionally, a couple of times a year on major holidays.
While eating, the monks listen to a pious reading, read by one of the brothers. Meals are held in silence, and the modest decoration of the room helps to contemplate the text being listened to.
Adjacent to the refectory there is the kitchen where the brothers prepare their meals.