What was the cellar like in the medieval times?

Answer 1

Unlike today, medieval cellars were often above ground. Every monastery had its own cellarium, a huge room at ground level for storing spare shoes, clothing, tools, food, wine, ale, candles and lamps, parchment, vats and tubs and everything else the monastery required. A monk called the cellarer acted as storeman and he had to account for all the tools issued to and returned by the monks each day.

The link below is an image of the surviving cellar at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire.

Answer 2

Perhaps you mean cellarer. This was a monastic official in charge of stores and provisions of all kinds, including clothing, tools, food and drink. He was usually a very experienced monk appointed by the abbot or prior of the monastery for his wisdom, business sense and reliability, since he had a very great responsibility.

The cellarer would have to visit the monastic granges (farms) which were often far from the monastery itself, in order to check the crop and see how much produce he could expect. He might also visit nearby markets to add to his store of wine, produce and tools.

He was responsible for seeing that the brother kitchener had all the food and utensils needed for each day's meals and that any surplus was collected to be given to the poor.

He issued new monks with their clothing according to the Rule of St Benedict or the specific rules of the individual monastery; he arranged for old or torn garments to be repaired or passed on to the poor, issuing new items as replacements.

All the tools and materials needed by the monks in their daily tasks were issued by the cellarer, as well as ale and wine.

Although the stores building was called a cellar, it was not underground. It was often situated on the west side of the cloister, at ground level.

Answer 3

Castles didn't have cellars. They did have areas below that held storage and /or dungeons. Some had a level of passageways where troops could move from location to location in the castle.