Cistercians
Cistercians’ coat of arms.
Cistercians in their habit (with the black
Scapular.
The Order of Cistercians (OCist; Latin:
Ordo Cisterciensis) is a Roman Catholic reli-
gious order of enclosed monks. They are
sometimes also called the White Monks, in
reference to the colour of the habit, over
which a black scapular or apron is sometimes
worn. The emphasis of Cistercian life is on
manual labour and self-sufficiency, and many
abbeys have traditionally supported them-
selves through activities such as agriculture
and brewing ales.
The first Cistercian abbey was founded by
Robert of Molesme in 1098, at Cîteaux Abbey
near Dijon, France. Two others, Saint Alberic
of Citeaux and Saint Stephen Harding, are
considered co-founders of the order, and
Bernard of Clairvaux is associated with the
fast spread of the order during the 12th cen-
tury. In the first century of its existence, the
order had spread throughout France and into
England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Spain,
Portugal, Italy and Eastern Europe.
The keynote of Cistercian life was a return
to literal observance of the Rule of St Bene-
dict. Rejecting the developments the Bene-
dictines had undergone, the monks tried to
reproduce life exactly as it had been in Saint
Benedict’s time; indeed in various points they
went beyond it in austerity. The most striking
feature in the reform was the return to manu-
al labour, especially field-work, a special
characteristic of Cistercian life. Cistercian ar-
chitecture is considered one of the most
beautiful styles of medieval architecture. Ad-
ditionally, in relation to fields such as agricul-
ture, hydraulic engineering and metallurgy,
the Cistercians became the main force of
technological diffusion in medieval Europe.
The Cistercians were badly affected in
England by the Protestant Reformation, the
Dissolution of the Monasteries under King
Henry VIII, the French Revolution in contin-
ental Europe, and the revolutions of the 18th
century, but some survived and the order re-
covered in the 19th century. In 1891 certain