In the Middle Ages, lay brothers were essential to the smooth running of a monastery. While the monks were well educated, the lay people were not. Religious without being monks, they were in charge of all material tasks: cooking, farming, gardening, work, etc. In turn, they were not subject to the enclosure. During religious services, they were relegated to the back of the abbey church. Located along the west side of the cloister, the lay building is connected to the kitchens and the cellar. It is separated from the cloister wall by an inner alleyway, the lay brothers’ alley (photo). At its end, a door gave access to the church, destroyed in 1792.