Parlor

Speaking Through the Grill

The congregation accessed the parlor through this door. It was a large room divided in half by a grill. When a visitor wanted to speak with us or our boarders, they would ask the “turn sister” to seek them out and then wait for them in the parlor. The parlor was austere on our side, but lavishly decorated on the guests’ side. Conversations had to be brief and to the point, and, if the visitor was not a family member, the sisters would keep their veils lowered and face covered. Today, there are no longer any grills, as the sisters are no longer cloistered.