Made by monks and nuns.

From Ireland to Poland, from Italy to Scotland, monasteries protected and developed large and important parts of Europe's cultural and spiritual heritage. In medieval times monasteries were - even by today's standards - large and important enterprises. Work and worship continues to this day in many places; there are about 4 dozen monasteries and convents all over Europe which produce wines and spirits, delicacies, traditional bodycare products, handcrafted items and books. We have decided to present a few of these items: top of the range body care products made by monks and nuns from Wales, France and Italy.

The Cistercian monks of
Caldey Island.

The Cistercians of Caldey Island off the Pembrokeshire coast are following in the footsteps of their Celtic forebears, who settled here in the 6th century.
The monks specialised in distilling exquisite fragrances which are known all over the world. All the plants used in the perfumes grow on the island (in particular, lavender, lemon verbena and gorse) and are processed by hand.