Žiče Charterhouse (Carthusian monastery)#
© D. Kaiser
The Carthusian Order is a Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own Statutesand combines eremitical and community oriented life. A Charterhouse is generally a small community of hermits whose focus is contemplation. Solitude and silence play an important role.
Each monk who is or who will be a priest has his own living space, called a cell, usually consisting of a small dwelling. Traditionally there is a one-room lower floor for the storage of wood for a stove and a workshop since all monks engage in some manual labour. A second floor consists of a small entryway with an image of the Virgin Mary as a place of prayer and a larger room containing a bed, a table for eating meals, a desk for study and a choir stall. Each cell has a high walled garden wherein the monk may meditate and use it to grow flowers or vegetables.