We travel on a regular basis throughout France and Italy. Cloisters are a point of interest in our travels.
Please use the menu at the top to select information and images of cloisters we have visited located in France, Italy and Spain.
We will add to this site on a regular basis as our travels take us to other locations.
Point us to a cloister and were are there. Out come our cameras for the multiple of views. Many never capture the feeling of the appealing spaces. We have captured some of the moments at cloisters with our line of note cards.
Although the term cloister is often applied to a monastery, cloisters are the enclosed courtyard that is formed by the walls of the church, buildings for residence, and a walkway or covered colonnade overlooking the square.
Cloisters originated in medieval times, mainly in Western Europe, and then were built across Western Europe. The "age of cloisters" is between the 8th and 15th centuries.
There are cloisters for monks at the monasteries, cloister for cannons regular at cathedrals and collegiate churches, and cloister for mendicant friars. They all have a similar look, but they have were the place for different religious lifes. More information on cloisters is found on the About Cloisters page.