De l’aile conventuelle à destination des convers au bâtiment agricole à fonction multiple : le cas des abbayes cisterciennes de Chaloché (Maine-et-Loire), Preuilly (Seine-et-Marne) et Valence (Vienne)

A scrutiny of abbey barns in Chaloché (Maine-et-Loire), Valence (Vienne), and Preuilly (Seine-et-Marne), allows us to discover how utilitarian buildings were laid out inside Cistercian abbeys and what their function was. The misconception of these 13th century buildings is that of a quite crude and unoriginal architectural style. The barns in Chaloché and Valence, more than being just « farm buildings », seem to have been used for activities like that of welcoming visitors or accomodating lay people. Further thought can thus be considered about the place of the laity in Cistercian institutions and the place that was assigned to it.