ABSTRACT
Nunneriesobservedthestandardmonasticlayoutinwhichacentral complexofbuildingswasgroupedaroundacloister.Thecloisterprovided acommunitywithmaximumseclusion,accessibilitybetweenprincipal structures,andorder.Thecloisterplanisformedbythreerangesof buildingswhichtogetherformaU-shapewhichabutsthechurch(Hom andBorn1979).Theenclosurethusformedisthecloisteryardwhichis composedofanopengarth,flankedbyalleyswhichrunconcentrically withinandprovideaccesstotheranges.Thisformatoriginatedwith Carolingianmonasteries,ifnotearlierinMerovingianexamplessuchas Chelles.
