The church and chapter house had important and special roles in the monastic day and spiritual life of the monks.  It was the place where the monks came to encounter God by listening to the Word that came through the Rule, talks, conferences, and sermons.  Here also the monks commit themselves to God by the reception of the habit, making of first vows, and for the lay brothers, their solemn vows.  Elections and appointments were also made in the Chapter, and the community also gathered here to receive distinguished visitors.

The monks reserved the best materials and their finest work for the chapter house and church; and this was certainly true at the monastery at Ovila.  The stone carving in this building was very precise and was executed with the greatest care.  At the time of the dismantling of this chapter house, not only the carved pieces but also the facing stones of the walls and the vaulted ceiling were removed and shipped, as those pieces were also of particularly fine quality. 

There are three Cistercian chapterhouses in the United States

1. The entire monastery of Sacramenia in North Miami.  This is now a parish of the Episcopal Church. It had been offered to Gethsemani in the early 1950's for a foundation.
2. The Cloisters in NY have Pontaut's Chapterhouse (part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art).
3. The Ovila stones in Golden Gate Park.

This alone, makes this chapterhouse a value piece of art and architecture.

To learn more about Medieval architecture and the role that the Sacred Stones project has in helping us better understand medieval structures, visit the October 19, 2010 NOVA episode entitled, Building the Great Cathedrals.