Ardua Hall is a location on the Former University Compound in Gilead where the Aunts live. As confirmed by Margaret Atwood herself, Ardua Hall and its neighbor, the Headquarters of the Eyes, are based in Harvard University.
Ardua Hall was initially created for the Aunts by Commander Judd, who set aside a portion of the university after Gilead requisitioned the campus. Specifically, Ardua Hall was meant to be the "special women's sphere" that would be separate from the male-dominated systems of Gilead. This is both a metaphorical and literal separation, as both Ardua Hall and the headquarters of the Eyes are housed within the university, although on opposite sides. No Eyes or Angels are permitted in Ardua Hall except under extreme circumstances, and even Aunt Lydia herself could not enter the Headquarters of the Eyes without an invitation from Commander Judd or requesting permission. In a sense, Ardua Hall functioned as a de-facto convent or nunnery, as a women's space.
Judd retained final authority over Ardua Hall, as the commander in charge of the Eyes. Any and all work that came out of Ardua Hall, such as policies that affected women, slogans, hymns, etc., would be subject to his final approval. However, the founding Aunts wielded considerable authority within Ardua Hall. From their base of operations in Aruda Hall, the Aunts cast a large, powerful shadow across all of Gilead, one that often unsettled the commanders.
Ardua Hall houses many important locations not only for the story, but for Gilead itself.
- The Hildegard Library: one of the few remaining libraries in Gilead after the enthusiastic book-burnings that occurred during the rise of the regime. It is here that the Aunts maintain a considerable collection of forbidden world literature as well as full copies of the Bible. It should be noted that the Aunts are the only class of women in Gilead who are permitted to read and write.
- The library is divided into several areas: the General Section, where new supplicant Aunts acquire their literacy; the Reading Room, which houses the Bibles and requires a higher level of authorization; and the private carrels of important persons, such as Aunt Lydia, which hold an individual's private reading selection. For example, Aunt Lydia's private carrell includes Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, Tess of the d'Urbevilles, Paradise Lost, and Lives of Girls and Women. It is not noted in the novels what other Aunts keep in their private carrells. The library is named after Saint Hildegard, German Benedictine abbess in the Middle Ages, who is considered to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany.
- The Bloodlines Genealogical Archives : an extremely classified area filled with documents regarding the true parentage of all people in Gilead. This includes the true names and identities of all Handmaids prior to their assignments. The genealogical information housed here is critical because due to the Handmaid system, most children are not related to their biological mothers or fathers, as Handmaids will often seek impregnation wherever they can. The Aunts take care to record who is related to whom, both in fact and officially. This is done to prevent incest and further Unbabies. This information is used by the Aunts to rule on proposed marriages, tracing the information and bloodlines the make sure the individuals (typically a Daughter and some official man) are not related.
- The Schlafly Café: an outdoor dining facility that is the only place Aunts are permitted to entertain the rare visitor from outside. The cafe's name is a reference to Phyllis Schlafly, anti-feminist and staunch conservative lawyer and activist (and possibly to her son Andrew, founder of the conservative-biased online wiki, Conservapedia.)
- The Dorms: where Aunts sleep and spend their free time, implied to be former student housing.
- The Refectory: the dining hall of Ardua Hall where the Aunts and supplicants each their meals and heal speeches from the founding Aunts, particularly Aunt Lydia.
- The Cellars/Punishment Rooms: these are cellar areas below the dorms, implied to be former music practice rooms (soundproofed) where Aunt Vidala carries out "punishments" for various infractions. These punishments can take the form of physical abuse (whippings and beatings) and more psychological tactics (isolation).
Ardua Hall is implied to be the central training and housing facility for all the aunts of Gilead, even those who travel outside of Boston. In particular, Ardua Hall houses the four founding Aunts of Gilead: Lydia, Elizabeth, Helena, and Vidala. Within Ardua Hall, the four founding Aunts hold de-facto authority and influence. Of the four, however, only Aunt Lydia is allowed a complete statue in her honor. The other four have busts. Aunt Lydia's statue is a magnate for votive offerings from various women, mostly Wives, and take the form of eggs (a sign of fertility), oranges (to suggest the swell of pregnancy), and croissants (to reference the moon and thus the menstrual cycle).
"Ardua" is Latin for "adversity." Ardua Hall's own motto is Per Ardua Cum Estrus, approximating to "through struggle by heat (i.e. the menstrual cycle." The literal translation, as give by Becca, is "through childbirth labor with the female reproductive cycle." Aunt Lydia herself concocted the motto, and notes that it seen as a "slippery" and subtle jab toward the patriarchy of Gilead. The motto is often repeated as a touchstone or prayer, much like "Under His Eye" and "Blessed Be the Fruit."