Idealized images of monastic cells

Idealized portrayals of monastic cells like this one (note the candle burning, above) do not reflect the reality of monastic history. "The term cell is something of a misnomer for these conventual dwellings, as they were not simply single-room constructions," writes Kathryn Santner about Peruvian nuns in the Early Modern period. "[...] they formed an extended network of small houses composed of multiple bedrooms, sitting rooms, servants’ quarters, kitchens, and outdoor patios. [...] a cell built at Lima’s monastery of Santa Catalina in 1638 included a reception room, alcove, oratory, kitchen, patio, chicken coops, balcony, and staircase to the roof. [...] Employing the same materials and construction methods used in secular buildings, these lavish cells had the kinds of amenities and fine detailing seen in Lima’s stately homes, including upper stories," Kathryn Santner, "Money and a Room of One’s Own." Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 81.4 (2022) 441-455, at 442.

The Hieronymite nun Juana Inés de la Cruz had in her cell: thousands of books, scientific and musical instruments, paintings, and curiosities. See Octavio Paz, Sor Juana, or, The Traps of Faith, trans. Margaret Sayers Peden (Belknap Press 1988) 247–248, qtd in Santner.

This etching of St. Simeon the Hermit in his tenth-century cell is idealized but at least shows a number of paintings and even more modern books.