A convent has to function both as a religious center and as a small settlement of people. A buidling of this kind must enclose a community able to survive independently from the rest of the world. For this reason, a convent involves a complex of building units organized to accomodate different functions. For example:
church kitchen
dining-room bakery
guest-house corridors and arcades
sacristy workshops
cells library
cistern reception
baptistery baths
Over the centuries the different functional units of the buidling program developed their own types. But the types are never implemented precisely. On the contrary, each time they are "interpreted" freely, thus yielding all kinds of interesting variations. Some examples of existing functional building types are provided above. |
