Cistercians

The Cistercians, formally the Order of Cistercians, are a Catholic religious order of monks and, in some communities, nuns. Founded in 1098 at Cîteaux Abbey near Dijon, they emerged from a reform of Benedictine monasticism that emphasized austerity, manual labor, and lectio divina.

Originating under Robert of Molesme and the guidance of Stephen Harding, the order sought stricter observance of the Benedictine Rule, plain stone architecture, and a white habit, earning the nickname “the white monks.” They stressed self-sufficiency, communal life, and ceaseless prayer.

Bernard of Clairvaux helped accelerate growth in the 12th century, founding Clairvaux and promoting reform across Europe. The Cistercians established influential abbeys—Fontenay, Pontigny, and many others—and spread to England, Ireland, Germany, and beyond, shaping monastic architecture and rural economy.

Organization centers on autonomous abbeys under a prior or abbot, living the Benedictine liturgical schedule and the vow of stability. They pioneered agricultural techniques, water management, and economic self-reliance, influencing medieval society. A later reform, the Trappists, arose from the Cistercians in the 17th century, seeking stricter observance.

Today, Cistercian communities of monks and nuns are present worldwide, preserving ora et labora—prayer and work—in contemporary religious life. The order remains associated with a tradition of fieldwork, scholarship, and distinctive austere architecture that evolved from its early medieval foundations.