Monastic Cell

The life of the Russian monastery did not consist solely of such joint actions as attending church services, religious ceremonies, engaging in physical labour or eating together in the monastic refectory. Monks spent a great deal of time in the solitude of their cells. The cell was a small room furnished with only the most basic requirements for sleeping, praying, reading, writing and engaging in holy thoughts. Many famous works of Old Russian literature were written in the monastic cells.