V.8.5
LODGING FOR THE PORTER
At the gate of the monastery let there be placed a wise old man who
understands how to give and receive a message, and whose years
will keep him from leaving his post. This porter should have a room
near the gate, so that those who come may always find someone to
answer them. As soon as anyone knocks, or a poor man hails him,
let him answer Deo gratias or Benedic. Then let him attend to them
promptly, with all the gentleness of the fear of God and with fervent
charity. If the porter needs help, let him have one of the younger
brethren.[298]
The Porter was in charge not only of the reception of the
monastery's guests, but also of providing them with food
and bedding. In order to acquit himself of this obligation,
he was assigned one-tenth of the revenues and produce
from the monastery's outlying estates, as well as one-tenth
of the offerings and gifts received at the gate.[299]
He was in
charge of the collection and transportation of his supplies.
At Corbie, for these multiple tasks he was provided with a
staff of ten assistants (prouendarii).[300]
Originally, according
to Hildemar, the duties of the porter were performed by
the monks who were in charge of the abbot's kitchen.[301]
In
Hildemar's own days this was no longer possible because
of the throng of the guests, which required that two brothers
devote themselves exclusively to the task of receiving the
poor and announcing distinguished guests to the abbot or
prior. While one of the porters attended the divine services
or took his meal, the other tended the gate where visitors
might arrive at any time.[302]
Monastic protocol required that
upon entry kings, bishops, and abbots were received by
prostration, the queen by a bend of the knee, others by a
nod of the head.[303]
After the guests had been received and
greeted, they were led to prayer; then they were given the
kiss of peace, and finally, the abbot presented them with
water for their hands, and both the abbot and the community
washed the feet of the guests.[304]
On the Plan of St. Gall, as St. Benedict had stipulated,
the Porter's dwelling lies near the gate of the abbey, next
to the House for Distinguished Guests, and contiguous to
the Porch through which the distinguished visitors enter
(fig. 395). It consists of a long, narrow apartment that is
built against the northern aisle of the Church, forming a
counterpart to the Lodging of the Master of the House for
Pilgrims and Paupers, but it is twice as large as the latter's
dwelling. Internally, it is subdivided into a living room with
corner fireplace (caminata portarii) and a dormitory (cubilium
eius) with six beds and a projecting privy. One door of
the living room opens directly into the northern aisle of the
Church, the other onto a long, narrow yard that borders on
the yard of the House for Distinguished Guests.
