MONKS AND MONASTERIES IN L'EMPORDÀ
Under the feudal system the monasteries became a shelter for
the helpless to whom they offered hospitality. Apart from that,
the monasteries were the place where the monks devoted themselves
to worship God and teach the villagers.
On the other hand, the ecclesiastic authorities were the owners
of large land expanses and whenever there was an occasion they
fought to increase the size and number of them. As the monks preached
God was in their favour nobody dared to oppose them. This way
many peasants lost all or part of their belongings.
Rivalries between monasteries were not uncommon as all of them
wanted to get more and better lands.
Discipline and democracy inspired the life and organisation
of the monasteries. There were 3 main premises to be followed:
a life of hard work, total obedience and equality among the monks.
The Benedictine order is a clear example of what has just been
mentioned.
The monks wore a hooded robe like the Roman slaves; they had
their hair cut and avoided any sort of luxury. They also lived
on a daily portion of wheat bread, wine and oil. Soup was the
commonest food. (A recipe that dates back to the XIIth.century
has been found in the monastery of Banyoles ). Pickled fish and
meat were introduced in the monasteries by some counts who wanted
to present the monks.
Christmas Day, Boxing Day and The Epiphany were celebrated with
banquets. On these occasions a really tasty wine called nectar
was served. It contained honey and a pinch of pepper.
The running of a monastery was similar to that of a self-sufficient
town: they fulfilled their own needs.
While the monks were travelling, they used to sleep in other
monasteries that belonged to the same order. According to the
tradition, there was a monastery at every stage of the journey
, so they could reach Rome without problems.