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narrower end. This is meant for the tile to be fastened to the ridge of the roof with a nail. These roof
tiles, too, were placed in such a way that the widest end of one covered the narrowest end of another.
Moreover, fastening of these tiles to the ridge was additionally ensured by a thick layer of mortar applied
in the bend (Schönauer 1815, 90). Ridge tiles are found more seldom than monks and nuns, therefore
it is possible that frequently they were substituted by nuns.
In the roofing process first nuns were laid close beside each other, with the outward bend upward,
and they were hooked on the horizontal roof battens using pegs. The lower ends of the next row’s nuns
were placed on the upper ends of the nuns of the bottom row. Side joints of nuns were covered by monks
whose hollow side was turned downward. The upper end of a monk was attached to the side edges of
the proximal nuns, in which cuts had been made. The bottom edge of a monk from the upper row
rests on the support peg of the monk from the lower row. Each next layer of tiles covers the previous
one by 4 to 6 cm. A Monk and Nun roof was a compact and rather heavy covering but it effectively
drained off rainwater. These roof tiles form a “header” covering that is steadily hooking on roof battens
even without additional support, still sometimes lime mortar was also used. In Austria, in a book with
instructions to roof tile makers, published at the beginning of the 19th century, it is emphasized that at
that time “monks” and “nuns” were already used rather seldom, since this roof covering was too heavy
and much lime mortar was needed, and besides it was too difficult to repair such a roof (Schönauer
1815, 89).
In Western Europe Monk and Nun tiles were used since the 11 th century (Bender 1995, 51).
The designations “nun” and “monk” had first appeared in Lübeck, in 1295 (Bender 1995, 341). However,
in the Middle Ages these were mostly called hollow roof tiles, or upper and lower roof tiles, which
corresponds to their arrangement in roof covering. Both the latter designations are encountered also in
Livonian written sources. In summer 1503, in a letter to the burgomaster of Tallinn/Reval, the abbot of
Padis Abbey reported that he intended to make a cheap purchase of 4000 roof tiles for repair of the roof
of a rural church – 2000 lower tiles and 2000 upper tiles (tegel backen stene ... decken; 4 dusent stene,
alze 2 dusent understen unde twedusent oversten – LUB II,2; Nr. 503, S. 399. 4 dusent dacksten, 2 dusent
understen unde twe dusent oversten tho des hilgen kruszes kapwelle tho Kuwenzall – LUB II, 2; Nr. 527,
S. 419). This is evidence that in the early 16th century the brick-kiln of Tallinn produced roof tiles for
the monastery and sold them to customers from the neighbourhood. In North Germany, in Lüneburg,
Monk and Nun tiles were manufactured not only in the Middle Ages, but they were dominating until the
late 17th century (Rümelin 1998, 41). In the Middle Ages sometimes a small part of Monk and Nun tiles
were glazed and these were used to make ornaments. Such tiles are seen in the restored roof covering
of Marienburg (now Malbork) Castle, the residence of Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order (Górski,
Woźniak, Żak 1993, 49, 96).
Monk and Nun roofing is considered to be the most attractive type of roof covering, since it has the
most expressive vertical division and a very relief and plastic surface. An impressive corrugated line is
created at the cornice which produces a fine decorative shadow pattern on the wall.
Archaeological finds allow closer characterisation of Monk and Nun tiles. In the territory of Latvia
these appeared in the 13th century along with introduction of brick buildings. Initially the Monk and
Nun tiles were non-glazed, but in the 13th century layer of the excavations near the Dom in Riga several