Ireland: Co. Louth, Mellifont Abbey, 6

Here I am sitting in one of the lavabo's arches. In the distance behind me, would be the infirmary, and the warming room, the only room where the monk's could warm themselves by a fire.

Next is a section of the south cloister wall, with its Romanesque arches. Through the arches you see the refectory, where the monks took there meals, and in the far right corner, the kitchens. The architects chose a site near a river, so that they had clean, fresh water for cooking and bathing, and of course running water in their latrines, outside the abbey wall.