On Being a Lay Cistercian - Anamchara: Carl McColman St. Bernard de Clairvaux founded 68 abbeys in his lifetime. On Being a Lay Cistercian | Carl McColman Today the Cistercians are divided into three bodies: the "Common Observance," the "Middle Observance," and the "Strict Observance" (Trappists). [17], The Cistercian order maintained the independent organic life of the individual houses: each abbey having its own abbot elected by its own monks, its own community belonging to itself and not to the order in general, and its own property and finances administered without outside interference. [69] Monastic buildings came to be constructed entirely of stone, right down to the most humble of buildings. But then in turn their influence began to wane, as the initiative passed to the mendicant orders,[17] in Ireland,[44] Wales[26] and elsewhere. Benedict was shy of personal power and was devoted exclusively to restoring the authority of the Church. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. _2 The simplicity of the stained glass is in keeping with the simplicity of the architecture. About Lay Cistercians Lay Cistercians The Lay Associates of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit invite you to explore their program. [26], In Yorkshire, Rievaulx Abbey was founded from Clairvaux in 1131, on a small, isolated property donated by Walter Espec, with the support of Thurstan, Archbishop of York. Cistercian architecture is a style of architecture associated with the churches, monasteries and abbeys of the Roman Catholic Cistercian Order. Intellectual labour had also its place in the life of the Cistercians. There has always been a large number of Cistercian nuns; the first nunnery was founded at Tart in the diocese of Langres, 1125; at the period of their widest extension there are said to have been 900 nunneries, and the communities were very large. The lay brothers were recruited from the peasantry and were simple uneducated men, whose function consisted in carrying out the various fieldworks and plying all sorts of useful trades: they formed a body of men who lived alongside of the choir monks, but separate from them, not taking part in the canonical office, but having their own fixed round of prayer and religious exercises. [14], In the purity of architectural style, the beauty of materials and the care with which the Alcobaa Monastery was built,[76] Portugal possesses one of the most outstanding and best preserved examples of Early Gothic. At the time, it was the 38th Cistercian monastery founded but, due to the dissolution down the centuries of the earlier 37 abbeys, it is today the oldest surviving Cistercian house in the world. [80] Bernard's outburst in a letter against the fantastical decorative motifs in Romanesque art is famous: But these are small things; I will pass on to matters greater in themselves, yet seeming smaller because they are more usual. Cistercian plan. Architecturally speaking, the Cistercian monasteries and churches, owing to their pure style, may be counted among the most beautiful relics of the Middle Ages. 1268). [92] Besides his piety, Bernard was an outstanding intellectual, which he demonstrated in his sermons on Grace, Free will and the Song of Songs. They come from all walks of life. They believed that the Benedictines had become complacent in their monastic practice, and wanted to go back to reproduce monastic life exactly as it had been in Saint Benedict's time. Cistercian abbeys also refused to admit boy recruits, a practice later adopted by many of older Benedictine houses. The first Cistercian abbey was founded in 1098, at Cteaux Abbey. [17], In the 17th century another great effort at a general reform was made, promoted by the pope and the king of France; the general chapter elected Richelieu (commendatory) abbot of Cteaux, thinking he would protect them from the threatened reform. The Cistercian Order was one of several new orders of monks that emerged in Europe in the 11 th and 12 th centuries, whose focus was reforming, restoring, or improving organised Christian religious life. [60], In the 16th century had arisen the reformed Congregation of the Feuillants, which spread widely in France and Italy, in the latter country under the name of Improved Bernardines. In Spain, one of the earliest surviving Cistercian houses - the Real Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Rueda in the Aragon region - is a good example of early hydrologic engineering, using a large waterwheel for power and an elaborate hydrological circulation system for central heating. "[87] Waterpower was used for crushing wheat, sieving flour, fulling cloth and tanning a "level of technological achievement [that] could have been observed in practically all" of the Cistercian monasteries. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Cistercians were severely ascetic, rejected feudal revenues, and engaged in manual labor. Attendance was compulsory, and absence without leave was severely punished. It was by this system of lay brothers that the Cistercians were able to play their distinctive part in the progress of European civilisation.[86]. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. [4] Cistercian foundations were primarily constructed in Romanesque and Gothic architecture during the Middle Ages; although later abbeys were also constructed in Renaissance and Baroque. The Cistercian abbeys had a house for the reception of the poor, and an infirmary for the sick, and in them all received a generous hospitality and remedies for the ills of soul and body. In addition to being devoted to contemplation, the nuns in earlier times of the Order did agricultural work in the fields. Although in most later Cistercian buildings the Romanesque rounded arch was replaced by the Gothic pointed arch, the ponderous construction of these churches still associates them closely with the Romanesque. A reform movement seeking a simpler lifestyle began in 17th-century France at La Trappe Abbey, and became known as the Trappists. The original church was replaced by the present construction from 1178, although construction progressed slowly due to attacks by the Moors. [93], Although Bernard's De laude novae militiae was in favour of the Knights Templar, a Cistercian was also one of the few scholars of the Middle Ages to question the existence of the military orders during the Crusades. The keynote of Cistercian life was a return to literal observance of the Benedictine Rule. This is probably due to the exceptional state of preservation of the Abbey, but also because of its early date of construction and its architectural homogeneity. The architecture of Fontenay has been described as "an excellent illustration of the ideal of self-sufficiency" practised by the earliest Cistercian communities. [45] In breadth and depth, his instructions constituted a radical reform programme: "They were intended to put an end to abuses, restore the full observance of the Cistercian way of life, safeguard monastic properties, initiate a regime of benign paternalism to train a new generation of religious, isolate trouble-makers and institute an effective visitation system. In 1114 C.E., another daughter house was founded, Pontigny Abbey. The Cistercians, (/sstrnz/)[1] officially the Order of Cistercians (Latin: (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contributions of the highly-influential Bernard of Clairvaux, known as the Latin Rule. Chief among Robert's followers included Alberic, a former hermit from the nearby forest of Colan, and Stephen Harding, a member of an Anglo-Saxon noble family which had been ruined as a result of the Norman conquest of England. But in the cloister, under the eyes of the Brethern who read there, what profit is there in those ridiculous monsters, in the marvellous and deformed comeliness, that comely deformity? He handed over the west wing of the monastery to a large group of lay brethren to cultivate the farms. While these traits had an impact on the women of the order, the nuns especially absorbed the latter characteristics and made them . With the foundation of Waverley Abbey in 1128, the Cistercians spread to England, and many of the most beautiful monastic buildings of the country, beautiful in themselves and beautiful in their sites, were Cistercian, as seen in Tintern Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey, Byland Abbey and Fountains Abbey. Cistercians - New World Encyclopedia The order underwent reforms in the 16th17th century; members of the reformed order are popularly known as Trappists after the abbey of La Trapp. Les cisterciennes de Castille et d'ailleurs face au Chapitre Gnral aux XIIe et XIIIe sicles", Les religieuses de Castille. In 1269, the Archbishop of Cashel joined the order and established a Cistercian house at the foot of the Rock of Cashel in 1272. [71] St. Bernard's own brother, Achard, is known to have supervised the construction of many abbeys, such as Himmerod Abbey in the Rhineland. [41] Similarly, the Irish-establishment of Abbeyknockmoy in County Galway was founded by King of Connacht, Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair, who died a Cistercian monk and was buried there in 1224.[42]. After Saint Bernard's entry, the Cistercian order began a notable epoch of international expansion. A good number of the monks who helped found Cteaux returned with him to Molesme, so that only a few remained. "[50] The arrangement lasted almost half a century, and in 1274, the filiation of Mellifont was reconstituted. [43] At the order's height in the 15th century, it would have nearly 750houses. Cistercian History, Influences & Facts | Who are the Cistercians? Cistercian architecture is a style of architecture associated with the churches, monasteries and abbeys of the Roman Catholic Cistercian Order. [12], Stephen acquired land for the abbey to develop to ensure its survival and ethic, the first land acquisition was Clos Vougeot. A lay brother was never ordained, and never held any office of superiority. The Cistercians are a Roman Catholic order whose monasteries and churches reflect one of the most beautiful styles of medieval architecture. Rejecting some of the developments, the reform-minded monks tried to live monastic life as they thought it had been in Benedict's time; at various points they went beyond it in austerity. Medieval Hungary (Today in Serbia), Ascension of Our Lady, Hohenfurth (Vy Brod), Czech republic, Cistercian Abbey Stina, Slovenia, established in 1132, Our Lady the Royal of Las Huelgas Abbey, Valladolid, Spain, Our Lady the Royal of Villamayor de los Montes Abbey, Burgos, Spain, Our Lady of Bujedo de Juarros Abbey, Burgos, Spain, Real Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Rueda, Ebro river, norther Spain, Poblet| Poblet monastery, Catalonia, Spain (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Monasterio Santa Mara de Valdedis, Asturias, Spain, Monastery of Alcobaa, Portugal (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Alvastra Abbey, Sweden (closed 1530, partially demolished), Varnhem Abbey, Sweden (church still remains, closed during Gustav I reformation). [67] Various buildings, including the chapter-house to the east and the dormitories above, were grouped around a cloister, and were sometimes linked to the transept of the church itself by a night stair. Until the 1960s, they slept, ate, and worked in perpetual silence. Many towns near Berlin owe their origins to this order, including Heiligengrabe and Chorin; its Chorin Abbey was the first brick-built monastery in the area. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In 1153, the first King of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques (Afonso, I), founded the Cistercian Alcobaa Monastery. . The original order, which underwent more moderate reforms, also survives. The Cistercians became the main force of technological diffusion in medieval Europe. The church was consecrated and dedicated to the Virgin Mary on 16 November 1106, by the Bishop of Chalon sur Sane. In the seventeenth century, a great effort at a general reform was made, promoted by the pope and the king of France; the general chapter elected Richelieu (commendatory) abbot of Cteaux, thinking he would protect them from the threatened reform. [66] In Spain, one of the earliest surviving Cistercian houses, the Real Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Rueda in Aragon, is a good example of such early hydraulic engineering, using a large waterwheel for power and an elaborate water circulation system for central heating. [94] The English Cistercian Abbot Isaac of l'Etoile, near Poitiers, preached against the "new monstrosity" of the nova militia in the mid-12th century and denounced the use of force to convert members of Islam. Alberic also forged an alliance with the Dukes of Burgundy, working out a deal with Duke Odo the donation of a vineyard (Meursault) as well as stones with which they built their church. [65] Although St. Bernard saw much of church decoration as a distraction from piety, and the builders of the Cistercian monasteries had to adopt a style that observed the numerous rules inspired by his austere aesthetics, the order itself was receptive to the technical improvements of Gothic principles of construction and played an important role in its spread across Europe. in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. The church was sanctified and dedicated to The Virgin Mary on November 16, 1106 by the Bishop of Chalon sur Sane.[2]. Religious interest spread. Cistercian | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica "[30], Meanwhile, the Cistercian influence more than kept pace with the material expansion. Cistercians Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster A decade followed with enhanced appreciation, devotion, and practice of the Cistercian way. In 1663 de Ranc reformed La Trappe. One of the most important libraries of the Cistercians was in Salem, Germany. The Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay is a 12th-century former monastery in Burgundy. Each abbey had its own abbot, elected by its own monks; its own community, belonging to itself and not to the order in general; its own property and finances administered by itself, without interference from outside. Bernard of Clairvaux entered the monastery in the early 1110s with 30 companions and helped the founding of the order. The most striking feature in the reform was the return to manual labor, and especially to field-work, which became a special characteristic of Cistercian life. The Order of Cistercians (OCist; Latin: Cistercienses), sometimes called the White Monks (from the color of their habit, over which a black scapular or apron is sometimes worn) is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monks. Upon assuming the role of abbot, Alberic moved the site of the fledgling community near a brook a short distance away from the original site. [92] His piety and asceticism "qualified him to act as the conscience of Christendom, constantly chastising the rich and powerful and championing the pure and weak. But some survived, and from the beginning of the last half of the 19th century there was a considerable recovery. History C teaux was founded by (St.) robert of molesme (d. 1111). In this they were disappointed, for he threw himself wholly on the side of reform. For instance, there was the permanent difficulty of maintaining in its first fervor a body embracing hundreds of monasteries and thousands of monks, spread all over Europe; and as the Cistercian very raison d'tre consisted in its being a reform, a return to primitive monachism, with its field-work and severe simplicity, any failures to live up to this ideal worked against the raison-d'etre of the Cistercians. [46], In 1228, the General Chapter sent the Abbot of Stanley in Wiltshire, Stephen of Lexington, on a well-documented visitation to reform the Irish houses. Fontenay is often taken as an example to illustrate the typical design of the cistercian Abbey. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Cistercian barns consisted of a stone exterior, divided into nave and aisles either by wooden posts or by stone piers. Cistercian , or White Monk or Bernardine, Member of a Roman Catholic monastic order founded by St. Stephen Harding (1098) at Cteaux (Latin, Cistercium), Burgundy, by Benedictines dissatisfied with their abbey's laxity. [54] He promulgated a series of regulations to restore the primitive spirit of the Cistercian Order. The initial successes of the new order in the Spanish Reconquista were brilliant, and the arrangement was approved by the General Chapter at Cteaux and successive popes, giving the Knights of Calatrava their definitive rule in 1187. [37], As a consequence of the wars between the Christians and Moors on the Iberian Peninsula, the Cistercians established a military branch of the order in Castile in 1157: the Order of Calatrava. Corrections? Arrival of Cistercian and Franciscan architecture (early 13th century); Early Gothic (c. 1228-1290); Mature Gothic (1290-1385) Late Gothic (from 1385 to the 16th century) Early Italian Gothic (13th century) The Gothic style was first introduced into Italy in the 12th century by monks of the Cistercian and Franciscan Orders. The Cistercians are known to have been skilled metallurgists, and knowledge of their technological advances was transmitted by the order. About Us New Clairvaux Vineyard is a unique winery destination. During the course of the 12th century the sculptural decoration of churches, manuscript illumination, stone towers on churches, and stained glass were all successively proscribed. Over time, as the Reconquista neared completion, the canonical bond between Calatrava and Morimond relaxed more and more, and the knights of the order became virtually secularized, finally undergoing dissolution in the 18th19th centuries.[38]. However, their influence began to wane, chiefly, no doubt, because of the rise of the mendicant orders, who ministered more directly to the needs and ideas of the new age. [88] The English science historian James Burke examines the impact of Cistercian waterpower, derived from Roman watermill technology such as that of Barbegal aqueduct and mill near Arles in the fourth of his ten-part Connections TV series, called "Faith in Numbers". Thus by the middle of the thirteenth century, the export of wool by the English Cistercians had become a feature in the commerce of the country. [78], The abbeys of France and England are fine examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The sixteenth century saw the rise of the Feuillants, which spread widely in France and Italy, in the latter country under the name of "Improved Bernardines." The humble and human characteristics of this period . [42] The east end of Corcomroe Abbey in County Clare is similarly distinguished by high-quality carvings, several of which "demonstrate precociously naturalistic renderings of plants". The Cistercians were badly affected by the Protestant Reformation, the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII, the French Revolution, and the revolutions of the eighteenth century, but some survived and the order recovered in the nineteenth century. For a hundred years, till the first quarter of the thirteenth century, the Cistercians supplanted Cluny as the most powerful order and the chief religious influence in western Europe. Soon the monks in Molesme began petitioning Pope Urban II to return their abbot to them. Stephen created the Cistercian constitution, called Carta Caritatis (the Charter of Charity). The English Reformation was disastrous for the Cistercians in England, as Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries saw the confiscation of church land throughout the country. Alberic also forged an alliance with the Dukes of Burgundy, working out a deal with Duke Odo I of Burgundy concerning the donation of a vineyard (Meursault) as well as stones with which they built their church. [67] The same "rational, integrated scheme" was used across Europe to meet the largely homogeneous needs of the order. [101] Cistercian monks and nuns have a reputation of being silent, which has led to the public idea that they take a vow of silence. in 1098 C.E., at Cteaux Abbey.Two other individuals, Saint Alberic of Citeaux and . Cistercian , or White Monk or Bernardine, Member of a Roman Catholic monastic order founded by St. Stephen Harding (1098) at Cteaux (Latin, Cistercium), Burgundy, by Benedictines dissatisfied with their abbeys laxity. [17] Bernard died in 1153, one month after his pupil Eugene III.[36]. Brief synthesis Located in the Bourgogne Franche-Comt region in the Cte-d'Or Department in the commune of Marmagne, the Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay was founded in 1119 by St Bernard in a marshy valley of Bourgogne. There was also trouble at Jerpoint, and alarmingly, the abbots of Baltinglass, Killenny, Kilbeggan and Bective supported the actions of the "revolt". They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. See more. [101] In a Cistercian monastery, there are three reasons for speaking: functional communication at work or in community discussion, spiritual exchange with ones superiors or spiritual adviser on different aspects of ones personal life, and spontaneous conversation on special occasions. He granted monks from the Ebrach Abbey in Bavaria an area of land just north of what is today the provincial capital Graz, where they founded Rein Abbey. For a long time, the General Chapter continued to battle bravely against the invasion of relaxations and abuses. It often happened that the number of lay brothers became excessive and out of proportion to the resources of the monasteries, there being sometimes as many as 200, or even 300, in a single abbey. Below is the article summary. [51], In Germany the Cistercians were instrumental in the spread of Christianity east of the Elbe. Yet on the other hand, all the abbeys were subjected to the General Chapter, the constitutional body which exercised vigilance over the Order. Discipline declined as the order grew, and Cistercians disappeared from northern Europe after the Reformation. [17], The nuns have also followed the division into different orders as seen among the monks. The maxim attributed to him, "the pope must be like Melchizedech who had no father, no mother, nor even a family tree", is revealing of his character. He left four of his companions to be trained as Cistercians, and returned to Ireland to introduce Cistercian monasticism there. However, as Bernard of Clairvaux, who had a personal violent hostility to imagery, increased in influence in the order, painting and decoration gradually diminished in Cistercian manuscripts, and they were finally banned altogether in the order, probably from the revised rules approved in 1154. Upon assuming the role of abbot, Alberic moved the site of the fledgling community near a brook a short distance away from the original site. These forms of communication are integrated into the discipline of maintaining a general atmosphere of silence, which is an important help to continual prayer.[101]. He found his life threatened, his representatives attacked and his party harassed, while the three key houses of Mellifont, Suir and Maigue had been fortified by their monks to hold out against him. Robert was then instructed to return to his position as abbot in Molesme, where he remained for the rest of his days. This developed an organised system for selling their farm produce, cattle and horses, and notably contributed to the commercial progress of the countries of western Europe. On January 26, 1108 Alberic died and was soon succeeded by Stephen Harding, the man responsible for carrying the order into its crucial phase. Cistercian architecture - Wikipedia The farming operations tended to produce a commercial spirit; wealth and splendour invaded many of the monasteries, and the choir monks abandoned manual labour. Cistercians | Encyclopedia.com Farming operations on so extensive a scale could not be carried out by the monks alone, whose choir and religious duties took up a considerable portion of their time; and so from the beginning the system of lay brothers was introduced on a large scale. By the end of the twelfth century the Cistercian houses numbered around 500; in the thirteenth century a hundred more were added; and at its height in the fifteenth century, the order would be close on 750 houses. Here is a four-footed beast with a serpent's tail; there, a fish with a beast's head. When a visitor enters the church, they are confronted with the symmetrical beauty that is quintessential to the Cistercian abbey. The first Cistercian abbey in Bohemia was founded in Sedlec near Kutn Hora in 1158. [45] Absenteeism among Irish abbots at the General Chapter became a persistent and much criticised problem in the 13th century, and escalated into the conspiratio Mellifontis, a "rebellion" by the abbeys of the Mellifont filiation. Nave, Fontenay Abbey. [101] This has actually never been the case, although silence is an implicit part of an outlook shared by Cistercian and Benedictine monasteries. In the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, the Cistercian order played an essential role in the politics and diplomacy of the late Pemyslid and early Luxembourg state, as reflected in the Chronicon Aulae Regiae, a chronicle written by Otto and Peter of Zittau, abbots of the Zbraslav abbey (Latin: Aula Regia, i.e., Royal Hall; today situated on the southern outskirts of Prague), founded in 1292 by the king of Bohemia and Poland, Wenceslas II. In case of any divergence of view at the chapter, the opinion espoused by the Abbot of Cteaux prevailed. An agreement (immediately after that) concerning the 'smythes' with the Earl of Rutland in 1541 refers to blooms. What Is A Lay Cistercian? - Lay Cistercians of South Florida The first abbot was Robert de Molesme and others included Gilbert le Grand and Souchier. God-centred, community living. [57], In the 15th century, various popes endeavoured to promote reforms. [55] According to his detailed report to the General Chapter, the monks of only two monasteries, Dublin and Mellifont, kept the rule or even wore the habit. [62] The Cistercians that remained within the original order thus came to be known as the "Common Observance". By this time, another ten abbeys had been founded by Irishmen since the invasion, bringing the total number of Cistercian houses in Ireland to 31. In the year of 1112, a charismatic young Burgundinian nobleman named Bernard arrived at Cteaux with 35 of his relatives and friends to join the monastery. From its solid base, the order spread all over western Europe: into Germany, Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Croatia, Italy, Sicily, Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Portugal. On the other hand, in some countries, the system of lay brothers in course of time worked itself out; thus in England by the close of the 14th century it had shrunk to relatively small proportions, and in the 15th century the regimen of the English Cistercian houses tended to approximate more and more to that of the Black Monks.[17]. Cistercian Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com At the beginning, the Cistercians renounced all sources of income arising from benefices, tithes, tolls and rents, and depended for their income wholly on the land. Yes, joy Cistercian spirituality is not gloomy! Cistercian government was based on three features: (1) uniformityall monasteries were to observe exactly the same rules and customs; (2) general chapter meetingthe abbots of all the houses were to meet in annual general chapter at Cteaux; (3) visitationeach daughter house was to be visited yearly by the founding abbot, who should ensure the . "[31] He rebuked the moderate and conciliatory Abbot Peter the Venerable for the pleasant life of the Benedictine monks of Cluny. [8] During the first year, the monks set about constructing lodging areas and farming the lands of Cteaux, making use of a nearby chapel for Mass. [4] Overall, there were 333Cistercian abbeys in Europe, so many that a halt was put to this expansion. Relaxations were gradually introduced in regard to diet and to simplicity of life, and also in regard to the sources of income, rents and tolls being admitted and benefices incorporated, as was done among the Benedictines; the farming operations tended to produce a commercial spirit; wealth and splendor invaded many of the monasteries, and the choir monks abandoned field-work. By the end of the 13th century, it had become a major autonomous power within the Castilian state, subject only to Morimond and the Pope; with abundant resources of men and wealth, lands and castles scattered along the borders of Castile, and feudal lordship over thousands of peasants and vassals. The general chapter for long battled bravely against the invasion of relaxations and abuses.