cloister

A cloister is a covered walk, typically arcaded, that surrounds a central open space or cloister garth in a church, monastery, convent, or religious house. The term derives from Latin claustrum, meaning an enclosed place, and is used both for the architectural feature and for the life of enclosure associated with it.

Architecturally, cloisters form a quadrilateral or rectangular enclosure around a courtyard. They usually comprise a ground-level arcade supported by columns or piers, with an upper gallery. The walk gives access to the church and various monastic buildings, such as the choir, chapter house, refectory, dormitory, and library. The central garden is often called a garth.

Historically, cloisters appeared in Christian monastic complexes in Late Antiquity and flourished in the Middle Ages in Europe. They provided a sheltered, contemplative passage and a practical arrangement for daily routines, including prayer, study, and administration. Styles range from the simple early Christian and Romanesque cloisters to the elaborately Gothic cloisters with tracery and vaulted walks.

In modern usage, cloisters remain in functioning monasteries and cathedrals, and the term is used more generally for any sheltered walk around a courtyard, including cloisters in hospitals and universities. The adjective cloistered describes withdrawal from ordinary social contact or religious enclosure; to cloister is to confine or seclude.