CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Cistercians

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Cistercians
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Cistercians
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CISTERCIAN SISTERS
CISTERCIANS IN THE BRITISH ISLES
.)
Religious of the Order of
Cîteaux
, a
Benedictine
reform, established at
Cîteaux
in 1098 by St. Robert,
Abbot
of Molesme in the
Diocese of Langres
, for the purpose of restoring as far as possible the literal observance of the
Rule of St. Benedict
. The history of this order may be divided into four periods:
I. The Formation (1098-1134);
II. The Golden Age (1134-1342);
III. The Decline (1342-1790);
IV. The Restoration (after 1790).
The formation (1098-1134)
St. Robert, son of the noble Thierry and Ermengarde of Champagne, was
Abbot
of Molesme, a
monastery
dependent on Cluny. Appalled by the laxity into which the Order of Cluny had fallen, he endeavoured to effect reforms in the
monasteries
of Saint-Pierre-de-la-Celle, Saint-Michel of Tonnerre, and finally in that of Molesme. His attempts at reform in these
monasteries
meeting with very little success, he, with six of his religious, among whom were Alberic and Stephen, had recourse to Hugh, Legate of the
Holy See
, and
Archbishop
of
Lyons
. Authorized by Archbishop Hugh to institute a reform, Robert and his companions returned to Molesme and there chose from among the religious those whom they considered most fitted to participate in their undertaking. To the number of twenty-one the company retired to the solitude of
Cîteaux
(in the Diocese of
Châlons
), which
Raynald, Viscount of Beaune
, had ceded to them. (See
Cîteaux
, Abbey of.) On the feast of St. Benedict (21 March), 1098, which fell that year on
Palm Sunday
, they commenced to build the "New Monastery", as it is called in the "Exordium sacri Ordinis Cisterciensis". This, therefore, was the birthday of the Order of
Cîteaux
. By order of the
Apostolic legate
, Robert received the
pastoral staff
from the
bishop
of the
diocese
, Gauthier, and was charged with the government of his brethren, who immediately made their
vow
of stability. Thus was the "New Monastery" canonically erected into an
abbey
At this news, the
monks
who had remained at
Molesme
sent a deputation to
Pope Urban II
, asking that Robert might be sent back to his first
monastery
. The
pope
yielded to their petition, and Robert returned to Molesme, after having governed
Cîteaux
for one year. There the prior, Alberic, was elected to replace him, and, in his turn, sent the two
monks
, John and Ilbode, as delegates to
Pascal II
(who had just succeeded
Urban II
) to beg him to take the church of
Cîteaux
under the protection of the
Apostolic See
. By Apostolic Letters, dated at Troja in Campania, 18 April, 1100,
Pascal II
declared that he took under his immediate protection the
abbey
and the religious, of
Cîteaux
, saving their allegiance to the
Church
of
Châlons
. Dating from this day, Alberic and his religious established at
Cîteaux
the exact observance of the
Rule of St. Benedict
, substituted the white habit for the black which the
Benedictines
wore, and, the better to observe the rule in regard to the
Divine Office
day and night, associated with themselves
lay brothers
, to be chiefly occupied with the manual labours and material affairs of the order. These
lay brothers
, or conversi, though they were not
monks
, were to be treated during life and after death just like the
monks
themselves. St. Alberic died in 1109.
His successor was Stephen Harding, an Englishman by birth, well versed in sacred and profane
science
, who had been one of the first promoters of the project to leave Molesme. St. Robert, his two immediate successors, and their companions had but one object in view: a reaction against the laxity of Cluny and of other
monasteries
— to resume manual labour, to adopt a more severe regimen, and to restore in monastic churches and church ceremonies the gravity and simplicity proper to the monastic profession. They never thought of founding a new order, and yet from
Cîteaux
were to go forth, in course of
time
, colonies of
monks
who should found other
monasteries
destined to become other
Cîteaux
, and thus create an order distinct from that of Cluny.
St. Bernard's
entrance into the Order of
Cîteaux
(1112) was the signal of this extraordinary development. Thirty young noblemen of
Burgundy
followed him, among them four of his brothers. Others came after them, and in such numbers that in the following year (1113)
Cîteaux
was able to send forth its first colony and found its first filiation, La Ferté, in the Diocese of
Châlons
. In 1114 another colony was established at
Pontigny
, in the Diocese of Auxerre. In 1115 the young Bernard founded Clairvaux in the
Diocese of Langres
. In the same year Morimond was founded in the same
Diocese of Langres
. These were the first four offshoots of
Cîteaux
; but of these
monasteries
Clairvaux attained the highest development, becoming mother of sixty-eight
monasteries
even in the lifetime of St. Bernard. (See Clairvaux).
After this
St. Stephen Harding
was to complete the legislation for the new institute. Cluny had introduced into the monastic order the confederation of the members among themselves. St. Stephen added thereto the institution of general chapters and regular visits. Thus mutual supervision, rendering account of the administration, rigid examination of discipline, immediate correction of abuses, were so many sure means of maintaining the observance in all its purity. The collection of
statutes
which St. Stephen drafted, and in which are contained wise provisions for the government of the order, was called the Charter of Charity (
La Charte de Charité
). It and the "US", the book of usages and customs, together with some of the definitions of the first general chapters, received the
approbation
of Pope
Callistus II
. At the death of St. Stephen (1134), the order, after thirty-six years of existence, counted 70
monasteries
, of which 55 were in
France
The golden age (1134-1342)
The diffusion of the new order was chiefly effected by means of foundations. Nevertheless several congregations and
monasteries
, which had existed before the Order of
Cîteaux
, became affiliated to it, among them the Congregations of Savigny and Obazine, which were incorporated in the order in 1147. St. Bernard and other Cistercians took a very active part, too, in the establishment of the great
military orders
, and supplied them with their constitutions and their
laws
. Among these various orders of
chivalry
may be mentioned the
Templars
, the Knights of Calatrava, of St. Lazarus, of Alcantara, of Avis, of
St. Maurice
, of the
Wing of St. Michael
, of Montessa, etc. In 1152 the Order of
Cîteaux
already counted 350
abbeys
, not including the granges and
priories
dependent upon the principal
abbeys
. Among the causes which contributed to this prosperity of the new order, the influence of St. Bernard evidently holds the first place; in the next place comes the perfect unity which existed between the
monasteries
and the members of every house, a unity wonderfully maintained by the punctual assembling of general chapters, and the faithful performance of the regular visits. The general chapter was an assembly of all the
abbots
of the order, even those who resided farthest from
Cîteaux
. This assembly, during the Golden Age, took place annually, according to the prescriptions of the Charter of Charity. "This Cistercian Areopagus", says the author of the "Origines Cistercienses", "with equal severity and
justice
kept watch over the observance of the
Rule of St. Benedict
, the Charter of Charity and definitions of the preceding Chapters." The collection of
statutes
published by Dom Martene informs us that there was no distinction of
persons
made. After a fault became known, the same
justice
was meted out to
lay brothers
monks
, and
abbots
, and the first fathers of the order. Thus, as all were firmly persuaded that their
rights
would be protected with equal
justice
, the collection of
statutes
passed by the general chapter were consulted and respected in all the
monasteries
without exception. All the affairs of the order, such as differences between
abbots
, purchase and sale of
property
, incorporation of
abbeys
, questions relating to the
laws
rites, feasts, tributes, erection of colleges, etc. were submitted to the general chapter in which resided the supreme authority of the order. Other orders took these general chapters as models of their own, either spontaneously, like the
Premonstratensians
, or by
decree
of the
Fourth Lateran Council
, that the
religious
orders should adopt the practice of holding general chapters and follow the form used by the Order of
Cîteaux
The general chapters were held every year up to 1411, when they became intermittent. Their decisions were codified. The first codification was that of 1133, under the title "Instituta Capituli Generalis". The second, which bears the title "Institutiones Capituli Generalis", was commenced in the year 1203 by the Abbot Arnoud I, and was
promulgated
in 1240. The third, "Libelli Antiquarum Definitionum Capituli Generalis Ordinis Cisterciencis", was issued in 1289 and in 1316. Finally, the general chapter of 1350
promulgated
the "Novellae Definitiones" in conformity with the Constitution of
Benedict XII
, "Fulgens ut stella" of 12 July, 1355. The regular visits also contributed much to the maintenance of unity and fervour. Every
abbey
was visited once a year by the
abbot
of the house on which it immediately depended.
Cîteaux
was visited by the four first fathers, that is to say, by the Abbots of La Ferté, of
Pontigny
, of Clairvaux, and Morimond.
"The Visitor", say the ancient
statutes
, "will urge the Religious to greater respect for their Abbot, and to remain more and more united among themselves by the bonds of mutual
love
for
Jesus Christ's
sake . . . The Visitor ought not to be a man who will easily believe every one indiscriminately, but he should investigate with care those matters of which he has no
knowledge
, and, having ascertained the
truth
, he should correct abuses with
prudence
, uniting his
zeal
for the Order with his feelings of sincere paternal affection. On the other hand, the Superior visited ought to show himself submissive to, and full of confidence in, the Visitor, and do all in his power to reform his house, since one day he will have to render an account to the Lord. . . [The Abbot] will avoid both before the Visitor and after his departure everything that will have the appearance of revenge, reproach or indignation against any of them" [sc. his subjects]. If the visitor should act against prescriptions, he was to be corrected and punished according to the gravity of his fault by the
abbot
who was his superior, or by another
abbot
, or even by the general chapter. Likewise, the
abbot
visited should
know
that he would become grievously culpable before
God
by neglecting the regular form of visit, and that he would deserve to be called to account by his "Father Immediate" or by the general chapter.
Thus everything was foreseen and provided for the maintenance of good order and charity and for the preservation of the unity of observance and spirit. "No one then ought be astonished", says the author of "Origines Cistercienses", "to find in the Cistercian
abbeys
, during their Golden Age, so many sanctuaries of the most fervent
prayer
, of the severest discipline, as well as of untiring and constant labour. This explains also why, not only
persons
of
humble
and low extraction, but also eminent men,
monks
and
abbots
of other orders,
doctors
in every
science
and
clerics
honoured
with the highest dignities, humbly begged the favour of being admitted into the Order of
Cîteaux
." Thus it was during this period that the order produced the greatest number of
saints
, blessed, and
holy
persons
. Many
abbeys
— such as Clairvaux,
Villiers
, Himmerod, Heisterbach, etc. — were so many nurseries of
saints
. More than forty have been
canonized
by the
Holy See
. The Order of
Cîteaux
constantly enjoyed the favour of the
Holy See
, which in numerous
Bulls
bestowed upon the Cistercians the highest praise, and rewarded with great privileges their services to the
Church
. They enjoyed the favour of sovereigns, who, having entire confidence in them, entrusted to them, like
Frederick II
, important delegations; or, like Alphonsus I of
Portugal
, placed their
persons
and kingdoms under the care and protection of Our Lady of Clairvaux; or again, like
Frederick II
, feeling themselves near the point of death, wished to die clothed in the Cistercian habit.
The Cistercians benefited
society
by their agricultural labours. According to
Dr. Janauscheck
, "none but the
ignorant
or men of bad
faith
are capable of denying the merited praises which the sons of St. Benedict have received for their agricultural labours throughout
Europe
, or that this part of the world owes to them a greater
debt
of gratitude than to any other colony no matter how important it may be." They also conferred great benefits on
society
by the exercise of
Christian charity
. By means of their labours, their economy, their privations, and sometimes owing to generous donations which it would be ungrateful to despise, they became more or less rich in the things of this world, and expended their wealth upon the instruction of the
ignorant
, the promotion of letters and arts, and the relief of their country's necessities.
Caesarius of Heisterbach
speaks of a
monastery
in
Westphalia
where one day all the cattle were killed, the
chalices
and books pledged as security, in order to relieve the poor. 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.
Intellectual labour had also its place in the life of the Cistercians. Charles de Visch, in his "Bibliotheca Scriptorum Sacri Ordinis Cisterciensis", published in 1649, devotes 773 historical and critical notices to authors who belonged to the Cistercian Order. Even in the very first period,
St. Stephen Harding
left a work on the
Bible
which is superior to anything of its kind produced by any contemporary
monastery
, not excepting Cluny. The Library of
Dijon
preserves the venerable
manuscript
of St. Stephen, which was to serve as a type for all Cistercian Bibles. The Cistercian
libraries
were rich in books and
manuscripts
. Nor did the sons of St. Bernard neglect the
fine arts
; they exercised their genius in building, contributed powerfully to the development and propagation of the Romanesque and the
Gothic architecture
throughout
Europe
, and cultivated the arts of
painting
and engraving.
The decline (1342-1790)
The decadence of the order was due to several causes, the first of which was the large number of
monasteries
, often-times situated in the most widely distant countries, which prevented the "Fathers Immediate" from making the regular visits to all the houses of their filiations, while some of the
abbots
could not assist every year at the general chapter. Some were also found who, seeing themselves thus sheltered from the remonstrances and the punishments either of the general chapter or of the visitor, permitted abuses to creep into their houses. But the principal cause of the decline of the order (which is based on unity and charity) was the spirit of dissension which animated certain superiors. Some
abbots
, even not far from
Cîteaux
, explained in a particular sense, and that adapted to their own point of view, certain points of the Charter of Charity. The solicitude of the
Roman pontiffs
themselves who tried to reestablish harmony among the superiors, was not always successful.
And yet at that time there were found some
courageous
and determined
monks
who became reformers, and even founded new congregations which were detached from the old trunk of
Cîteaux
. Those congregations which then severed their union with
Cîteaux
, but which no longer exist at the present time, are:
The Congregation of the Observance of St. Bernard of
Spain
, founded by Dom Martin de Vargas, in 1425, at Monte Sion near Toledo;
The Congregation of St. Bernard of
Tuscany
and of
Lombardy
, approved by
Alexander VI
(1497);
the Congregation of
Portugal
, or of Alcobaca, founded in 1507;
the Congregation of the
Feuillants
, founded by John de la Barriere in 1563, which spread into
France
and
Italy
, the
monasteries
of
Italy
, however, eventually detaching themselves from those of
France
to form the Congregation of the Riformati di San Bernardo;
the Congregation of
Aragon
, approved by a
Bull
of
Paul V
(1616);
the Congregation of
Rome
, or of Central
Italy
, created by a
Decree
of
Gregory XV
in 1623;
the Congregation of Calabria and Lucania, established by
Urban VIII
in 1633, and to which was united the old Congregation of Flore, which had for its founder Blessed Joachim surnamed "the Prophet".
Together with the congregations which separated from
Cîteaux
there were five or six others which, while remaining subject to the
jurisdiction
of the parent house, were legislated for by provincial or national chapters. Chief among these congregations were those of Northern
Germany
, the Strict Observance, and La Trappe. The Congregation of Northern
Germany
was erected in 1595 by Nicholas II (Boucherat),
Abbot
of
Cîteaux
, at the desire of
Pope Clement VIII
, in the
monastery
of Furstenfeld. It comprised four provinces ruled by the
abbots
, vicars of the general. It counted twenty-two
abbeys
, only three of which survived the revolutionary tempest, and now form part of the Common Observance of
Cîteaux
, as the Cistercian province of
Austria-Hungary
. The Congregation of Strict Observance, resulting from the efforts for reform of the Abbots of Charmoye and Châtillon, was established at
Clairvaux
by Denis Largentier,
abbot
of this
monastery
(1615). The
Abbot
of
Cîteaux
, Nicholas Boucherat, approved the reform and permitted it to hold special assemblies and to choose a
vicar-general
with four assistant generals. The general chapter of
Cîteaux
in 1623 praised it highly,
Cardinal Richelieu
became its protector, and the
popes
gave it encouragement. In 1663 it received an important member in the
person
of Abbot de Rancé, who introduced the Strict Observance into the Abbey of La Trappe in the Diocese of Séez, adding to it other very severe practices.
The
abbeys
which did not respond to the appeal of Martin de Vargas, of Denis Largentier, or of Abbot de Rancé, formed an observance which
Pope Alexander VII
, in his
Bull
of 19 April, 1666, named
Common
, to distinguish it from the
Strict
Observance, from which in reality it differed only in the use of meat and similar articles of food three times a week, a use certainly contrary to the rule of perpetual abstinence which obtained in the early days, but which the religious
wars
and other evils of the times in a measure rendered
necessary
. Mention should be made of two other reforms: that of Orval in
Luxemburg
, by Bernard de Montgaillard (1605), and that of Septfons, in the
Diocese of Moulins
, by Eustache de Beaufort, in 1663. The former numbered six
monasteries
, the latter did not extend beyond Septfons.
The Strict Observance developed rapidly. In a very short time it counted fifty-eight
monasteries
. At the death of Denis Largentier (1626), Etienne Maugier, who succeeded him, inspired it afresh. From that time it aimed at a certain superiority to which it believed it had some claims, and was resolved, in case of meeting with any opposition, to withdraw from the
jurisdiction
of the General of
Cîteaux
. Hence arose quarrels and litigations which lasted forty years or more. In 1632, at the request of the king (Louis XIII),
Urban VIII
continued the powers which
Gregory XV
had given ten years before to Cardinal De La Rochefoucauld for the reform of the
monasteries
of the kingdom. The
cardinal
heard only the Fathers of the Strict Observance, who persuaded him that no reform was possible without a return to the abstinence from meat. He therefore passed a sentence in 1634 which derogated in many points from the ancient constitutions and the Charter of Charity, particularly in what concerned the
jurisdiction
of the
Abbot
of
Cîteaux
and of the four first fathers. The College of St. Bernard at
Paris
passed into the hands of the Strict Observance. The
Abbot
of
Cîteaux
, Peter de Nivelle, appealed to the
sovereign pontiff
. The latter annulled the sentence of the
cardinal
in every point in which it was contrary to legitimate authority. In the meanwhile Peter de Nivelle having resigned, the non-reformed, in the hope of escaping from the authority of Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld, elected
Cardinal de Richelieu
Abbot
of
Cîteaux
. The
cardinal
applied the reform in his
monastery
. Sustained by him, the reformed took possession of
Cîteaux
after having dispersed into other
monasteries
the professed religious of this
monastery
. At the death of
Richelieu
the expelled
monks
assembled at
Dijon
, 2 January, 1643, and elected to his place Dom Claude Vaussin, but the king vetoed the election; they voted again, 10 May, 1645, and gave all their voted to Claude Vaussin, while the reformed, to the number of only fifteen, voted for Dom Jean Jouaud,
Abbot
of Prieres in Britanny. On the 27th of November following,
Innocent X
sent his
Bulls
to Dom Claude Vaussin, and imposed silence on the reformed. February 1st, 1647, a
Brief
of the same
pope
re-established all matters in the condition in which they had been before the sentence of Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld.
The Strict Observance then tried to form an independent order under the authority of the
Abbot
of Prieres, and with this object in view raised new difficulties in relation to the question of abstinence. A
Brief
of
Alexander VII
, dated November, 1657, confirming the decision of
Sixtus IV
, in 1475, that abstinence from flesh meat was not essential to the rule, did not quiet their scruples. Finally, 26 January, 1662, the same
pope
interfered in a decisive manner by inviting the two parties to appear at the Court of
Rome
. The Common Observance sent Claude Vaussin; the Strict Observance, Dom George,
Abbot
of Val-Richer; La Trappe, Abbot de Rancé. On the 19th of April, 1666, appeared the
Bull
"In Suprema", which put an end to the divisions. It recommended that the visits be regularly and strictly made, that
monks
should live in the
monasteries
, and that the general chapters should be held every three years. It restored the night silence, poverty in apparel, and
monastic tonsure
. It maintained the use of meat where that already obtained, and recommended the religious who had made the
vow
of abstinence to be faithful to it. The Strict Observance remained under the
jurisdiction
of the
Abbot
of
Cîteaux
. This constitution was accepted by the general chapter of 1667, which was held at
Cîteaux
, in spite of protests from the opponents, and in particular of Abbot de Rance, and the new reform was put into force in all the
monasteries
of
France
, where the number of
monks
was sufficient.
During the eighteenth century, however, there was introduced into the Order of
Cîteaux
, as into almost all the great religious
families
, a pernicious licence of thought and morality. New conflicts between the
Abbot
of
Cîteaux
and the
abbots
of the four first houses of filiation arose concerning the government of the order and their own
jurisdiction
. In virtue of the liberties of the Gallican Church, the king and his council appointed a commission to restore order. A new collection of
statutes
was drawn up, but these were not definitively adopted until 1786. The general chapter of that year finally agreed among themselves and adopted the new
statutes
on the eve of the
French Revolution
. The political and religious disturbances which then and at the commencement of the nineteenth century troubled
France
and
Europe
almost ruined this venerable order. When the National Convention, by the
decree
of 13 February, 1790, secularized all the
religious houses
of
France
, the Order of
Cîteaux
had in
France
228
monasteries
, with 1875 religious; 61 of these houses, with 532 religious, were in the filiation of
Cîteaux
; 3, with 33 religious, in that of La Ferté; 33, with 171 religious, in that of
Pontigny
; 92, with 864 religious, in that of Clairvaux; and 37, with 251 religious, in that of Morimond. The sixty-second and last
Abbot
of
Cîteaux
, Dom François Trouvé, having lost all hope of saving his
monastery
, begged
Pius VI
to transfer all his powers to Robert Schlecht,
Abbot
of Salsmansweiler, of the Congregation of Northern
Germany
, so that the remnants of the ancient corporation of
Cîteaux
might still have a ruler.
From
France
the
hatred
of religion passed with the arms of the usurpers into
Belgium
Switzerland
Italy
, and other countries, and there continued the work of destruction. By an imperial veto of the 25th of February, 1803, and a
decree
of the
Prussian
Government of the 28th of April, 1810, all the
monasteries
of
Germany
were ruined. The
abbeys
of
Portugal
were abolished by a law of the 26th of May, 1834, those of
Spain
by the
laws
of the 25th of July and 11th of October, 1835, those of
Poland
disappeared before the decrees of the Russian and
Prussian
rulers.
The restoration (after 1790)
The reform inaugurated at
La Trappe
by Abbot de Rance, reviving the austerity and fervour of primitive
Cîteaux
, was maintained, almost intact, against difficulties of every kind, until the
French Revolution
. There were then at
La Trappe
seventy religious and a numerous and fervent
novitiate
. When, on the 4th of December, a
decree
of the National Assembly suppressed the
Trappists
in
France
, Dom Augustin de Lestrange, then master of
novices
at
La Trappe
, authorized by his local superior and the
Abbot
of Clairvaux, set out with twenty-four of his brethren for
Switzerland
. The Senate of Fribourg permitted them to settle in Val-Sainte, 1 June, 1791.
Pope Pius VI
, by a
Brief
of 31 July, 1794, authorized the erection of Val-Sainte into an
abbey
. Dom Augustin was elected
abbot
on the 27th of the following November, and on the 8th of December of the same year, a solemn
decree
of the
nuncio
of the
Holy See
at
Lucerne
, executing the
Brief
of
Pius VI
, constituted Val-Sainte an
abbey
and the mother-house of the whole Congregation of
Trappists
. There the
Rule of St. Benedict
was observed in all its rigour, and at times its severity was even surpassed. Novices flocked thither. From Val-Sainte Dom Augustin sent colonies into
Spain
Belgium
, and
Piedmont
But the French troops invaded
Switzerland
in 1796. Obliged to leave Val-Sainte, Dom Augustin, with his religious of both sexes, commenced two years of wanderings through
Europe
, during which period they gave to the world the spectacle of the most
heroic virtues
. In 1800 Dom Augustin returned to
France
, and two years later resumed possession of Val-Sainte. In 1803 he sent a colony of his religious to America under the direction of Dom Urbain Guillet. In 1811, fleeing from the
anger
of
Napoleon
, who first favoured the
Trappists
and then suppressed all their
monasteries
in
France
and the whole empire, Dom Augustin himself left for America. In 1815, on the downfall of
Napoleon
, he returned immediately to La Trappe, while Dom Urbain Guillet established himself at Bellefontaine in the
Diocese of Angers
During this imperial
persecution
, a
schism
took place in the Congregation of La Trappe. The colony which Dom Augustin had sent from Val-Sainte into
Belgium
under the direction of Dom Eugene de Laprade, and which had settled first at Westmalle, and then at Darpheld in
Westphalia
, had abandoned the Rules of Val-Sainte to embrace those of de Rance. It returned to
France
and occupied Port-du-Salut in the Diocese of Laval; Westmalle, restored in 1821, withdrew from the
jurisdiction
of Dom Augustin to form, five years later, the Congregation of
Belgium
Dom Augustin died 16 July, 1827, at
Lyons
. A
Decree
dated
1 October, 1834, confirmed two days later by
Gregory XVI
, united the different houses of
Trappists
in
France
in one congregation known as the Congregation of Cistercian Monks of Our Lady of La Trappe. The General President of the Order of
Cîteaux
is its head and confirms its
abbots
. The four first fathers are the Abbots of Melleray, Port-du-Salut, Bellefontaine, and Gard. The
Rule of St. Benedict
and the Constitutions of
Cîteaux
or those of de Rancé, according to the custom of each
monastery
, are observed. But with this diversity of observance, the union did not last long. A pontifical
Decree
dated the 25 February, 1847, and granted at the request of the religious of each observance, divides the
Trappist
monasteries
of
France
into two congregations: the Ancient Reform of Our Lady of La Trappe, which follows the Rules of de Rance, and the New Reform, which follows the Primitive Observance and is governed by the Charter of Charity. Already Westmalle in 1836 formed a distinct congregation known as the Congregation of
Belgium
. There were then three distinct congregations of the
Trappists
It was reserved for a later generation to see the most complete reform effected by the fusion of all the congregations into one order in unity of government and observance. On the first of October, 1892, at the desire of
Leo XIII
, a plenary general chapter was held in
Rome
, under the presidency of Cardinal Mazzella, delegated by the
Cardinal Protector
Monaco della Valetta. The assembly lasted twelve days; the fusion was adopted;
Dom Sebastian Wyart
Abbot
of Septfons, who had taken the most active part in all the negotiations to effect this union, was chosen "General of the Order of the Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe". Such was the name given to the order. A
decree
of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars of 8 December, 1892, then a pontifical
Brief
of 23 March, 1893, confirmed and ratified the Acts of the chapter. On the 13th of August, 1894, the
sovereign pontiff
approved the new constitutions and the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars
promulgated
them on the 25th of the same month. In 1898, the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the order, the sons of St. Bernard again took possession of the ancient Abbey of
Cîteaux
Dom Sebastian Wyart
was elected
abbot
, and thus was restored the chain of
abbots
of
Cîteaux
which had been broken for 107 years. It was then decided to suppress in the title of the order the words "Our Lady of La Trappe", the Abbey of La Trappe yielding the first rank to
Cîteaux
. Finally, on the 30th of July, 1902, an
Apostolic Constitution
of
Leo XIII
solemnly confirmed the restoration of the order and gave to it the definite name of "Order of Reformed Cistercians, or the Strict Observance".
Dom Sebastian Wyart
died 18 August, 1904. The general chapter, postponed that year until October, chose for his successor the Most Rev. Dom Augustin Marre,
Abbot
of Igny, and
titular
Bishop
of
Constance
Condition of the order in 1908
Several modern congregations must be mentioned which have been grafted on the old trunk of
Cîteaux
, and which, with some ancient
monasteries
that escaped the
persecution
of the close of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth, form the Common Observance. Their mode of life corresponds to that of the Cistercians of the seventeenth century, whose mitigation was approved by
Alexander VII
in 1666. They are the Congregations of
Italy
Belgium
Austria
, and
Switzerland
, and the Congregation of Sénanque.
1. The Congregation of St. Bernard of
Italy
was formed in 1820 with the
monasteries
which remained of the Congregations of the Roman Province and of
Lombardy
, after
Pius VII
had been deprived of his States. The congregation adopted the constitutions of the ancient Congregation of
Tuscany
and
Lombardy
2. The Congregation of
Belgium
, formed in 1836, at Bornheim in the Diocese of
Mechlin
, by the religious who were expelled in 1797 from Lieu-Saint-Bernard-sur-l'Escaut, observe constitutions based upon the
Brief
of
Alexander VII
and the Cistercian Ritual. They were approved by the
Holy See
in 1846
3. The Cistercian Congregation of
Austria
and
Hungary
was formed in 1859 by the
monasteries
of
Austria
which had escaped from the
Revolution
and submitted to the President General of the Order of
Cîteaux
4. The Congregation of
Switzerland
was formed in 1806 by the three
monasteries
of Hauterive, Saint-Urbain, and Wettingen, remnants of the Congregation of North
Germany
. These
monasteries
having succumbed in 1841 and 1846, the
Abbot
of Wettingen, an exile in
Switzerland
, purchased, in 1854, the
Benedictine
monastery
of
Mehrerau
on the Lake of Bregenz, to which the
Holy See
transferred all the privileges of Wettingen. To this
monastery
was joined that of Marienstatt in the Diocese of Cologne in Nassau.
5. The Congregation of Sénanque, or the Mean Observance, owes its origin to the
parish
priest
, Luke Barnouin, who, with some associates, in 1849, attempted the
religious life
in the solitude of Our Lady of Calvary in the
Diocese of Avignon
, leaving that retreat in 1854, to take up his abode in the
monastery
of
Sénanque
, which he had purchased. The new congregation, which, without returning to the primitive constitutions, did not adopt all the mitigations of later centuries, received the name of "Congregation of Cistercians of the Immaculate Conception". It was incorporated in the Order of
Cîteaux
in 1857, and in 1872 transferred its seat to the ancient
monastery
of
Lérins
. The constitutions of this congregation were approved by
Leo XIII
, 12 March, 1892.
When the
pope
, in 1892, undertook to unite in one order the three Congregations of La Trappe, His Holiness caused the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars to address a letter to the Cistercians of the Common Observance inviting them to join their brethren of the Reformed Observance of La Trappe. But as the
pope
left them free, they preferred to retain their respective autonomies. Since that time the Order of
Cîteaux
is divided into two branches absolutely distinct; the Strict and the Common Observances. To these may be added the small Congregation of
Trappists
of Casamari in
Italy
, which has only three
monasteries
with about 45 members.
The Order of Reformed Cistercians has (1908) 71
monasteries
of men with more than 4000 subjects. In this number of houses are included the annexes which were founded in certain places to serve as refuges for the communities which had been expelled from
France
. These
monasteries
are distributed as follows: in
France
, 20; in
Belgium
, 9; in
Italy
, 5; in
Holland
, 5; in
Germany
, 3; in
England
, 3; in
Ireland
, 2; in
Asia
, 4; in
Africa
, 2; in America, 10; (4 in
United States
, 5 in
Canada
, and 1 in
Brazil
). The Reformed Cistercians make profession of the Primitive Observance of
Cîteaux
, with the exception of a few modifications imposed by the
Holy See
at the time of the fusion. Their life is strictly cenobitical, that is to say, life in common in its most absolute form. They observe perpetual silence, except in cases of necessity provided for by the rule, or when express permission is granted by the superior. Their day is divided between the
Divine Office
, agricultural and kindred labours, and free intervals for reading and study. The supreme authority of the order resides in the general chapter, which assembles every year at
Cîteaux
, from the 12th to the 17th of September, and is presided over by the
abbot
general. When the general chapter is not in session, current and urgent matters are regulated by the
abbot
general aided by his "Council of Definitors".
The
abbot
general, who is by right Abbot
Cîteaux
, resides in
Rome
(Via San Giovanni in Laterano, 95), with the
procurator
general and the five definitors of the order, of whom there are two for French-speaking countries, one for English-speaking, one for German, and one for
Flemish
. At the house of the
abbot
general are also the students whom the different houses of the order send to
Rome
to follow the course of studies at the Gregorian University. The Order of Reformed Cistercians has for its protector at
Rome
Cardinal Rampolla Del Tindaro.
The four first houses, which replace the ancient Abbeys of La Ferté,
Pontigny
, Clairvaux, and Morimond, are La Grande Trappe in the
Diocese of Séez
, Melleray in the
Diocese of Nantes
, Westmalle in the Diocese of
Mechlin
, and Port-du-Salut in the Diocese of Laval. The
abbots
of these four houses every year visit the mother-house at
Cîteaux
. The other houses are visited regularly every year by the
abbots
of the houses on which they immediately depend.
The actual condition of the Common Observance is as follows: The Congregation of
Italy
has five
monasteries
(two of them in
Rome
, at Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, and at San Bernardo alle Terme) and about 60 members. The Congregation of
Belgium
has two
monasteries
(Bornheim and Val-Dieu), with 63 members. The Congregation of
Austria
, the most powerful, has 12
monasteries
, with 599 religious. The Congregation of
Switzerland
has three
monasteries
, with 171 members. Lastly, the Congregation of Mean Observance of Sénanque, which, since the Waldeck-Rousseau Laws of 1901, has lost Sénanque, Fontfroide, and Pont-Colbert, now has but two houses, with about 102 members. The Cistercians of the Common Observance in 1900 elected as their general Dom Amedeus de Bie, of the Congregation of
Belgium
. He has for assistants the vicars-general of the five congregations.
The Order of
Cîteaux
has produced a great number of
saints
and has given two
popes
to the
Church
Eugene III
, a disciple of St. Bernard, and
Benedict XII
. It has also given the
Church
forty
cardinals
, five of whom were taken from
Cîteaux
, and a considerable number of
archbishops
and
bishops
. The Cistercians of all observances have no less enlightened the
Church
by their teachings and writings, than edified it by the
sanctity
of their lives. Among great teachers may be cited St. Bernard, the
Mellifluous Doctor
and the last of the
Fathers of the Church
St. Stephen Harding
, author of the "Exordium Cisterciensis Coenobii", of the "Charter of Charity", etc. Then follow Conrad of Eberbach (Exordium Magnum Ordinis Cisterciensis); Ælred,
Abbot
of Rieval (Sermons); Serlon,
Abbot
of Savigny (Sermons); Thomas of
Cîteaux
(Commentary on the Canticle of Canticles);
Caramuel
, the Universal Doctor, author of a Moral Theology very much esteemed, whom
St. Alphonsus Liguori
calls "the prince of Laxists";
Caesarius of Heisterbach
(Homilies, "Dialogus Miraculorum", etc.); Manrique (Cistercian Annals in vols. folio); Henriques (Menologium Cisterciense); Charles de Visch (Bibliotheca Scriptorum Sacri Ordinis Cisterciensis); the Abbot de Rance ("De la sainteté et des devoirs de la vie monastique", "Eclaircissements sur le même traité", "Méditations sur la règle de Saint-Benoît", etc.); Dom Julien
Paris
("Nomasticon Cisterciense" in fol., Paris, 1664), Dom Pierre le Nain, sub-prior of La Trappe ("Vie de l'Abbé de La Trappe", "Essai de l'histoire de Cîteaux", 9 vols., Paris, 1690-97); Sartorius ("Cistercium bis-tertium",
Prague
, 1700, and others. In the nineteenth century it suffices to mention among a great many writers belonging to both Observances:
Dr. Leopold Janauscheck
(Originum Cisterciensium tom. I,
Vienna
, 1877 — the author died before he was able to commence the second volume), Dom Hugues Séjalon,
monk
of Aiguebelle (Annales d'Aiguebelle, 2 vols. and a new edition of the "Nomasticon Cisterciense" of Dom
Paris
, Solesmes, 1892).
Cistercians in America
The establishment of the Cistercians in America is due to the initiative of Dom Augustin de Lestrange. He was born in 1754, in the castle of Colombier-le-Vieux, Ardèche,
France
, the son of Louis-César de Lestrange, an officer of the household of Louis XV, and of Jeanne-Pierrette de Lalor, daughter of an
Irish
gentleman who had followed in 1688 James II in his exile. Dom Augustin was master of
novices
at
La Trappe
when the
Revolution
burst forth, and upon the suppression of the
religious
orders he sought refuge at Val-Sainte in
Switzerland
, with twenty-four of his brethren. Driven from Val-Sainte by the French troops, these religious wandered over the whole of
Europe
, going even into
Russia
. (See above under III. The Decline.)
Dom Augustin at length resolved to send a colony of Cistercian
Trappists
to America, where he saw much good to be done. Already in 1793, seeing
novices
flocking to Val-Sainte, he had directed to
Canada
a part of his religious under the guidance of Father John Baptist. But at
Amsterdam
this colony found itself prevented by political troubles from departing, and divided into two bands, one of which settled at Westmalle in
Belgium
, while the other went to
England
and established itself at Lulworth in Dorsetshire, in the very place where formerly there had existed a Cistercian
abbey
which was destroyed by
Henry VIII
. Dom Augustin, however, had not given up the
idea
of an American foundation. In 1802 he charged Dom Urbain Guillet to carry out his intentions in this regard. Dom Urbain, born at
Nantes
, in 1766, the son of Ambroise Augustin Guillet, Knight of Malta, and of Marie-Anne Le Quellec, entered La Trappe in 1785, and was the last to pronounce his
vows
in that
monastery
when the
Revolution
burst forth. He assembled 24 religious,
lay brothers
, and members of the third order (an institution of Dom Augustin de Lestrange), and sailed from
Amsterdam
, 24 May, 1802, on board of the Sally, a
Dutch
vessel flying the American flag to avoid the risks of
war
— for
Holland
was at the time an ally of
France
, and a conflict was imminent between that country and
England
The Sally entered the port of
Baltimore
, on the 25th of September, after a voyage of four months, having been hindered by contrary winds, and having gone out of her course to avoid English cruisers. Dom Urbain and his companions were received at St. Mary's Seminary, which was under the direction of the
Sulpicians
, to whose superior, the venerable M. Nagot, then eighty-five years of age, the Cistercian immigrants had letters. At that time St. Mary's College possessed several eminent professors, and among these was M. Flaget, who later became
Bishop
of Bardstown, and then of
Louisville
, and who, in 1848, was to receive in Kentucky the religious who left Melleray to found Gethsemane.
About fifty miles from
Baltimore
, between the little towns of Hanover and Heberston was a plantation known as Pigeon Hill, which belonged to a friend of the
Sulpicians
. Being absent for some years, he left them the power of disposing of it as they should deem proper. This large and beautiful residence was well provided with provisions by the
goodness
of the
Sulpicians
. In the woods near by were found all kinds of wild fruits. The
Trappists
installed themselves at Pigeon Hill. M. de Morainvilliers, a French emigrant, a native of
Amiens
and
pastor
of St. Patrick's church,
Baltimore
, used his influence with his parishioners to procure for the newly-arrived community the aid
necessary
for their establishment. But everything was dear in the country, and the money which Father Urbain had destined for the purchase of land did not even suffice for the support of his community. Eighteen months had already passed since the arrival of the colony at Pigeon Hill, and the
true
foundation had not yet been begun. Dom Urbain had not accepted any of the land which had been offered to him. Moreover, the proximity of
Baltimore
was a frequent source of desertions among the young people of the third order.
About the beginning of 1805 Dom Urbain heard Kentucky spoken of. Its climate was represented to him as more temperate, and its soil more fertile. He left immediately to visit that country, and found there a devoted friend in the only
Catholic
priest
then resident,
Father Stephen Badin
Father Badin
took upon himself the
obligation
of finding for the
Trappists
a suitable establishment. Having left Pigeon Hill in July, 1805, Father Urbain and his companions arrived at
Louisville
in the beginning of September. The inhabitants received them with great kindness and provided for their first wants. They occupied for the time being a plantation which a
pious
woman
offered them, at some distance from
Louisville
, and this gave them time to acquire, about sixty miles south of
Louisville
, in the neighbourhood of Rohan's Knob, a
property
called Casey Creek, or Potinger's Creek.
In the meantime a new band had been sent out by Dom Augustin Lestrange, under the conduct of Father Mary Joseph, a native of Chapell-les-Rennes, in Jura (b. 22 April, 1774), who had been a grenadier in the French army. One day he had been ordered to shoot a
priest
, but had refused to obey; he left the army and became a religious at Val-Sainte. His community was at that time composed of seven
priests
, seventeen
lay brothers
, and twenty-one young people of the third order.
In the beginning of 1809 sixty acres of land had already been cleared at Casey Creek, a quantity of grain sowed, and a great number of trees planted. Permanent settlement was about to be made here when a fire destroyed in a few hours all the buildings of the new
monastery
. Dom Urbain was deeply affected by the misfortune, and thought only of going elsewhere. An
Irish
gentleman by the name of Mulamphy whom he had met in
Baltimore
, offered him the ownership of a habitation in
Louisiana
. Dom Urbain and Father Mary Joseph left together to visit this
property
. It pleased them, and they decided to leave Kentucky and Casey Creek.
In the "Sketches of the Early Catholic Missions of Kentucky, 1787-1826" can be read the unexceptionable testimony which Bishop Spalding renders of the fervour of the religious during the whole time they spent in
Kentucky
. Faithful to the rule of penance, they retrenched nothing from the austere practices of their holy state. The Rev. Father Charles Nerinckx, in a letter to Bishop Carroll, is not sparing in his praises of the
Trappists
, though he blames certain details of administration which were the cause of their failure at Casey Creek. In the spring of 1809 the community left for Louisiana and took up their abode at Florissant, the
property
of Mr. Mulamphy, some thirty miles west of St. Louis, on a hill which slopes towards the Missouri. But Father Urbain contemplated the purchase of another
property
on the other side of the Mississippi, which was offered to him by M. Jarrot, former
procurator
of the
seminary
of St. Sulpice at
Baltimore
, who had established himself at Cahokia, six miles from St. Louis. In the first month of 1810 Dom Urbain bought on the prairie of "Looking Glass" the two highest of the forty mounds which formed the burial-ground of the Indians in the vicinity of Cahokia, known by the name of
Indiana
Mound.
"Looking Glass" was an immense tract of land in St. Clair County,
Illinois
, which, it is said, had served the savages for many generations as a burial-place for their dead. These people had built there gigantic monuments which rose up from a base of 160 feet in circumference to a height of more than 100 feet. The
Trappists
constructed several cabins on the smaller of the two mounds purchased by Dom Urbain, reserving the higher mound for the
abbey
which they intended to build later. But the new settlers soon felt the influence of the unhealthy climate. Several savage tribes who had attempted in the past to take up their abode there had been
obliged
to abandon the undertaking. One of the religious escaped the fever, but only one of them died. However, Monks' Mound, as it was afterwards named, presented great advantages. The city of St. Louis was only six or seven miles distant, all around were vast prairies or abundance of wood, and the waters of the Mississippi were so full of fish that, to use the expression of Father Urbain, "a blind man could not help but spear a big fish, if he tried". The lands were easy to cultivate and very fertile. The savages who made frequent incursions into the neighbourhood never molested the
monks
. Dom Urbain had his
rights
of
property
confirmed by Congress at Washington in March, 1810. He wished also to acquire 4000 acres of land in the neighbourhood of Monks' Mound. The president and a certain number of members of Congress were favourable to him, but the hostility of several influential members, who feared to see this country peopled under the influence and direction of religious and
Catholic
priests
, caused his petition to go over to the next session. While waiting, Dom Urbain, struck by the sad condition of religion in the vicinity of St. Louis and in Illinois sent two of his religious to preach the Gospel there — Father Mary Joseph and Father Bernard, the latter a
Canadian
priest
who he had brought with him from New York to Casey Creek. These settled in a
parish
which was the most renowned for its
scandals
. "There", says Gaillardin ("Histoire de la Trappe", II. 285), "a husband had just sold his wife for a bottle of whiskey; the purchaser in his turn sold her for a horse; and finally she was sold a third time for a yoke of oxen." But so
zealously
did these missionaries labour there by word and example that in a short time religion flourished. Father Bernard, already advanced in age, after some time succumbed to fatigue. To aid Father Mary Joseph, Dom Urbain took upon himself the care of the
Christian
people who were nearest to the
monastery
In 1812 a terrible plague visited the colony of the Monks' Mound. This fever, which desolated the country for two years, attacked the community and rendered it impossible for them to do any work. At the same time all necessaries were dear, and there was no money. Dom Urbain resolved to leave Monk's Mound. He sold all he possessed and transferred his community to
Maryland
. There he found on his arrival six other religious under the direction of Father Vincent de Paul, who had been sent from
Bordeaux
to America by Dom Augustin de Lestrange, and, having landed in
Boston
the 6 August, 1811, with two religious, had been joined in the following year by three
lay brothers
. (Father Vincent de Paul was a native of
Lyons
, born in 1769.) Dom Urbain found the little band in the greatest misery. While waiting for better conditions, he settled them upon a little farm between Baltimore and Philadelphia, and conducted his own subjects to an island near Pittsburgh.
In the meanwhile Dom Augustin de Lestrange, pursued by the
anger
of
Napoleon
, who had even set a price upon his head, arrived in New York in December, 1813. The
Jesuits
had just given up their foundation in that city, and Dom Augustin took over the building they had used as a classical
school
and which was located where St. Patrick's Cathedral now stands in Fifth Avenue. Here, with Fathers Urbain and Vincent de Paul, he began a little community which resumed the regular life and exerted on outsiders a salutary influence. They cared for a number of children, most of them
orphans
Protestants
were edified, and some conversions were made among them. The effort to establish a community was abandoned, however, after two years' experience. Father Urbain made another attempt to found a colony upon a farm which was offered to him by M. Quesnet,
Vicar-General
of Philadelphia.
Monastery of Petit-Clairvaux
In 1814 Dom Augustin, after the abdication of
Napoleon
, resolved to return to
France
to re-establish there the Order of
Cîteaux
. He authorized Father Mary Joseph to remain in America, to continue the evangelization of the savages. Two groups left in October, the one under the conduct of Dom Augustin, the other under that of Father Urbain. A third group set sail later from New York for Halifax, under the guidance of Father Vincent de Paul (May, 1815). Here he was
obliged
to wait fifteen days for the vessel which was to take him back to his native land, but the vessel sailed while Father Vincent de Paul was engaged upon some business in town. He found himself without friends, without money, and in a country of which he
knew
nothing. But Father Vincent de Paul found there a vast field for the exercise of his
zeal
. He undertook to preach to the savages and, at the request of Monseigneur Lartigue,
Bishop
of
Montreal
, to found a
monastery
in
Nova Scotia
. He laboured eight years for the conversion of the infidels, and then, to carry out the latter project, he left for Bellefontaine in
France
(1823) and, the same year, returned to America, bringing with him four religious, with whom he founded, in 1825, the
monastery
of Petit Clairvaux, in Big Tracadie, Nova Scotia. Father Vincent de Paul lived twenty-eight years longer, spreading the
blessings
of the Gospel in that country. He died 1 January, 1853, in the odour of
sanctity
, and there is a question of introducing his cause at
Rome
For many years this foundation struggled for existence. Two fires in succession destroyed all. Discouraged thereby, the little community, in 1900, left that country and settled near Lonsdale,
Rhode Island
, where it founded the
monastery
of Our Lady of the Valley. Since 1903 the Nova Scotian solitude of Petit Clairvaux has been repeopled. Thirty religious from the Abbey of Thymadeuc (
France
), under the direction of Dom Eugene Villeneuve, continued the interrupted work, clearing 1000 acres of land, two-thirds of which are forest-lands, two thirds of the remainder either pasture or meadow-lands; only about 15 acres are capable of being worked. The
monastery
is situated one mile from the Intercolonial Railway. Although the Cistercian Rule was in vigour there it was only incorporated in the Order of Reformed Cistercians in 1869.
Gethsemane and New Melleray
The year 1848 saw the erection of two other
monasteries
in the
New World
, one in Nelson County in the
Diocese of Louisville
Kentucky
, not far from the scene of the labours and hardships of Fathers Urbain and Mary Joseph and their companions, the other in the
Diocese of Dubuque
Iowa
, twelve miles west of the Mississippi River. The
monasteries
are the present Abbeys of Our Lady of Gethsemane and Our Lady of New Melleray.
The Abbey of Gethsemane, in the
Diocese of Louisville
, was founded by the Abbey of Melleray in
France
. In 1848 Dom Maxime,
abbot
of that
monastery
, sent two of his religious to the
United States
to find a suitable location for a foundation. Bishop Flaget of
Louisville
— the
saint
of Kentucky, as he was called — indicated to them an establishment called Gethsemane, belonging to the Sisters of Loretto who were directing an
orphanage
. The
property
, consisting of about 1400 acres of good land, was purchased, and on the 20th of December, 1848, forty religious from Melleray took possession of it. On the 21st of July, 1850,
Pius IX
erected Gethsemane into an
abbey
. Dom Eutropius was chosen
abbot
in March, 1851, and on the 26th of the following October he received abbatial blessing from the hands of Mgr. Spalding, successor of Mgr. Flaget in the
Diocese of Louisville
. The ten or twelve log houses which had served as dwellings for the Sisters of Loretto and their
orphans
had become entirely inadequate for the needs of the Fathers, and Dom Eutropius decided to build a
monastery
. After eleven years of hard and incessant labour, which had considerably impaired his health, the
zealous
superior resigned his charge and returned to Melleray. From this place of retirement he was called to become the first superior of Tre Fontane near
Rome
His successor at Gethsemane was Dom Benedict Berger, under whose rule the beautiful abbatial church of Gethsemane was
solemnly
consecrated
by Archbishop Purcell, of
Cincinnati
, assisted by the
Bishop
of
Louisville
and Buffalo, 15 November 1866. Mgr. Spalding, who had become
Archbishop
of
Baltimore
, was present on the occasion, and preached the sermon, a masterpiece of sacred eloquence. Dom Benedict died 13 August, 1890, and was succeeded by Dom Edward Bourban, who transformed into a
college
the little
school
which the Sisters of Loretto had left in charge of the new community. This college is situated about a quarter of a mile from the
abbey
in a picturesque location, and has since been incorporated by the legislature of
Kentucky
. In 1895 Dom Edward, while on a visit to
France
, resigned his charge on account of the poor state of his health, and was appointed
chaplain
of the Trappistines of Our Lady of Les Gardes, in the
Diocese of Angers
France
. On the 11th of October, 1898, Dom Edmond Obrecht, cellarer of the Abbey of Tre Fontane near
Rome
, was elected
Abbot
of Gethsemane, and was blessed by Bishop McCloskey of
Louisville
on the 28th of the same month. This community numbers 75 members.
The Abbey of New Melleray, in the
Diocese of Dubuque
Iowa
, about twelve miles west of the Mississippi, is so called because its mother-house is the Abbey of Mount Melleray in
Ireland
, which was founded by the Melleray Abbey of
France
. In 1848 Dom Bruno Fitzpatrick,
Abbot
of Mount Melleray, sent some of his religious to the
State of Iowa
. Mgr. Lorans,
Bishop
of
Dubuque
, offered them 80 acres of land in the vicinity of his episcopal city. The cornerstone of the
monastery
was laid 16 July, 1849. Raised to the dignity of an
abbey
in 1862, it had for first
abbot
, Dom Ephrem McDonald. After twenty years he resigned and returned to Mount Melleray. The Rev. Alberic Dunlea, who arrived in September, 1885, with an important colony from Mount Melleray, succeeded him as superior. He relieved the financial condition of the
abbey
, and ended the difficulties which had nearly ruined it under the preceding administration. In 1889 a new superior was elected in the
person
of Father Louis Carew. Later he became definitor of the order for the English-speaking countries, and was succeeded by Father Alberic who became titular prior. In 1897 the
monastery
was restored to its dignity of
abbey
, and Dom Alberic Dunlea was elected
abbot
. The
property
comprises some 3000 acres of land, with an abundance of excellent water. The
abbey
has been rebuilt, but in 1908 it was not yet completed.
Abbey of La Trappe, Canada
The Abbey of Our Lady of the Lake of Two Mountains (better known by the name of La Trappe, the official name given to the post-office established there) is situated in the territory of Oka, in the Diocese of
Montreal
, about thirty miles from that city and upon the shores of the Lake of the Two Mountains, whence it derives its name. The first thought of founding this
monastery
was due to the venerable M. Rousselot,
priest
of St. Sulpice, and
pastor
of Notre-Dame of
Montreal
. Born at Cholet (Maine et Loire,
France
), a few leagues distant from the Abbey of Bellefontaine, M. Rousselot had often, in his youth, visited this
monastery
. Several times during his visits to
France
he had communicated his projects to the
Abbot
of Bellefontaine, Dom Jean-Marie Chouteau. The expulsion of the religious decreed by the French Government, and put into execution at Bellefontaine, 6 November, 1880, decided the Rev. Father Jean-Marie to accept the proposition of M. Rousselot. On the 8th of April, 1881, the Rev. Father Abbot, accompanied by one of his religious, arrived in
Montreal
, where he was most kindly received by Bishop Fabre. After some weeks of negotiation, the Seminary of St. Sulpice ceded to the
Trappists
1000 acres of land in the seigniory of the Lake of the Two Mountains. At the same time the provincial Government of Quebec promised to encourage the foundation and to come to its aid. On his return to
France
the Rev. Father Abbot sent to
Canada
four of his religious, so that the infant colony comprised five members, including his companion who remained. Father William was the superior. They installed themselves for the time being as well as they could in a little wooden house that belonged to the Mill of the Bay, as it was called, in the territory of Oka. This temporary installation lasted until the month of September. The religious then took possession of a
monastery
which, without being a permanent abode, gave them room enough for faithfully carrying out the Cistercian observances and receiving new recruits. This first
monastery
was blessed, 8 September, 1881. It has since been transformed into an agricultural
school
The grain of mustard seed promised to become a great tree. Novices presented themselves, and at the same time the grounds, until then uncultivated, covered with brush and forests and filled with rocks, were cleared and tilled. After this a permanent
monastery
was planned. In the autumn of 1889, thanks to a generous benefactor, M. Devine, work was commenced upon it. In the month of May, 1890, the
corner-stone
was laid, and on the 28th of August, 1891, Mgr. Fabre solemnly blessed the first two wings which had been completed. This same day, by a
decree
of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, the
priory
of Our Lady of the Lake was erected into an
abbey
. On the 26th of March the community chose as
abbot
the Very Rev. Father Anthony Oger, who, on the 29th of the following June, received the abbatial blessing from the hands of Mgr. Fabre in the
cathedral
of
Montreal
. Finally, in 1897, by the aid of a benefactor as modest as he was generous, M. Rousseau,
priest
of St. Sulpice, the
monastery
and the abbatial church were entirely completed, and on the 7th of November Archbishop Bruchesi solemnly
consecrated
the church. Thence-forth the
monks
could give themselves fully to their lives of labour and
prayer
, without fearing any inconvenience in the fulfilment of their regular exercises. But on the 23rd of July, 1902, a fire destroyed the
monastery
, and the community was
obliged
to take shelter in the agricultural
school
. While waiting for sufficient means to rebuild their
monastery
, the
monks
constructed a temporary wooden shelter, and on
Holy Thursday
, 1903, were able to leave the
school
. The aid rendered by the different houses of the order and the traditional generosity of the
Canadian
people and the people of the
United States
, without distinction of creed, soon enabled them to commence the building of a new
monastery
upon the site of the former, and on the 21st of August, 1906, Mgr. Bruchesi,
Archbishop
of
Montreal
, surrounded by several
archbishops
and
bishops
consecrated
the abbatial church.
The Abbey of Our Lady of the Lake had in 1908, according to statistics, 120 inmates, including the oblates. This name is given to boys of eleven to fifteen years who are entrusted to the
monks
by their
parents
to be brought up according to the
Rule of St. Benedict
, so that later, if the superiors judge them to be called to the
religious life
, they may become
monks
. The rule is mitigated for them in consideration of their tender age. This is a revival of the
monastic
school
of the
Middle Ages
and of the first centuries of
religious life
. The principal industries of Our Lady of the Lake are the manufacture of cheese and of a medicinal wine. The
monastery
possesses also an important creamery for the manufacture of butter. But that which contributes most of all to the renown of La Trappe of Oka is its agricultural
school
. In this matter the Reformed Cistercians (Trappists) of Our Lady of the Lake follow the glorious traditions of their ancestors. From their very installation in the country, their skill in deriving profit from lands previously sterile was noticed by the farmers of the neighbourhood. Persons of every age and condition asked to be permitted to work with them, so as to learn their methods. This was the beginning of the agricultural
school
which the Government was in a short time to recognize officially, and which, reorganized since the burning of the former
monastery
, gives instruction in agricultural
science
every year to 80 or 100 students. Today the building devoted to this
school
is a large modern construction delightfully situated in a picturesque location, and commands a beautiful view of the Lake of the Two Mountains. This agricultural
school
has been affiliated with the University of Laval.
Monastery of Lake St. John
For a long time the
Honourable Honoré Mercier
, Prime Minister of the
Province of Quebec
, had at the request of the colonization agent of the province, been earnestly entreating the
Abbot
of Bellefontaine and Dom Anthony of Our Lady of the Lake to send some religious into the country of Lake St. John, recently opened to colonization. He had offered to the
Trappist
Fathers 6000 acres of land and a considerable sum of money. In the year 1891 he charged the Rev. Th. Greg. Rouleau, principal of the Laval Normal School, who accompanied Mgr. Begin on his visit
ad limina
, to urge this request of the Government upon the
Abbot
of Bellefontaine. When the
abbot
, with the
necessary
authorization from his order, arrived in Quebec to settle the matter, M. de Boucherville had succeeded
M. Mercier
as prime minister. M. Pelletier, Secretary of the Province, and the Honourable Louis Beaubien, Minister of Agriculture, were exceedingly
happy
to continue the work of the preceding ministry. They favoured with all their power the establishment of the
Trappists
at Lake St. John. Mgr. Labrecque, who had succeeded Mgr. Begin in the
See of Chicoutimi
, made the foundation the particular object of his personal care and attention. In 1892 Dom Anthony sent a little colony to Lake St. John. Thus was founded the prosperous and beneficent
monastery
of Our Lady of Mistassini at Lake of St. John in the
Diocese of Chicoutimi
. In January, 1906, it was erected into a
priory
, and the Rev. Dom Pacomius Gaboury was elected prior. The
monastery
in 1907 had twenty inmates.
Monastery of Our Lady of the Prairies, Manitoba
Archbishop Taché
of
St. Boniface
had long desired to enrich his
diocese
with an institution of this kind. He wrote about it several times to the
Abbot
of Bellefontaine, and in the spring of 1892 the latter came to an understanding with the
archbishop
, and his colabourer, M. Ritchot,
pastor
of St. Norbert. The
prelates
gave the Rev. Father Abbot 1500 acres of good land in the
parish
of St. Norbert, and immediately sent thither a little colony under the direction of Father Louis de Bourmont. The work of construction was carried on with vigour and rapidity, and on the 18th of October in the same year,
Archbishop Taché
blessed the
monastery
and named it Our Lady of the Prairies. St. Norbert is situated on the west bank of the Red River, about nine miles south of Winnipeg, the great
metropolis
of Western
Canada
. It is exclusively an agricultural colony, and farming is carried on there on an extensive scale by means of the latest improved machinery. In 1893 the harvest was remunerative. In 1897 there were more than five hundred acres of first-class land under cultivation. The
monastery
of Our Lady of the Prairies had forty inmates in the year 1908. By this date a new building had been erected.
Monastery of Our Lady of the Valley, Lonsdale, Rhode Island, U.S.
This
monastery
is no other than the former Little Clairvaux transferred. After the disastrous events which made it impossible for the community of Little Clairvaux to continue its work at Big Tracadie, Dom John Mary Murphy, yielding to the desire of Bishop Harkins of Providence to have some contemplative religious in his
diocese
, transferred it to Lonsdale,
Rhode Island
, in March, 1900, leaving to other religious who came from
France
his
monastery
of Little Clairvaux. He commenced without delay to build a wooden structure which would serve for a temporary shelter for the religious. At the same time he was constructing the buildings indispensable for farming. These preparations were pushed forward with such energy that by the month of July the community were able to commence the clearing and cultivation of the lands. It was an arduous and ungrateful task; no single-handed farmer would have undertaken it. But what was impossible to individual effort was soon effected by united labour, and the ungrateful soil became productive. The new
monastery
, begun in April, 1902, was finished in December of the same year, and in the month of January, 1903, the religious had the consolation of being installed in a building appropriate to their kind of life. For a farm the water supply is of prime importance. The
religious
of Our Lady of the Valley have discovered a spring which supplies water abundantly for all purposes. Moreover, this water, on account of its mineral properties, has a considerable commercial value. The total area of the
property
is 450 acres. The success which has thus far attended the efforts of the
monks
at Lonsdale is a precious encouragement for all those who are engaged in farming pursuits in that rocky part of
Rhode Island
The
monastery
was erected into a
priory
in 1907, and the religious elected the Rev. Dom John Mary Murphy prior. It retains in the order the rank of seniority corresponding to the
date
of incorporation of Little Clairvaux in the Order of
Cîteaux
. in 1869.
Monastery of Our Lady of Calvary, Rogersville, N.B.
Foreseeing the evils with which their communities were threatened by the
law
of 1901 (Waldeck-Rousseau), several
abbots
of the Order of
Cîteaux
in
France
looked to find a refuge in case of expulsion. Dom Anthony Oger,
Abbot
of Our Lady of the Lake, wrote to Mgr. Richard,
pastor
of Rogersville, N.B., who answered promptly, placing at his disposal certain mills and 1000 acres of land already partly cultivated. In August, 1902, the
prior
of Bonnecombe,
France
, the Rev. Father Anthony Piana and the Rev. Mother Lutgarde,
prioress
, with another sister, arrived in
Montreal
and afterwards at Our Lady of the Lake by way of
Montreal
. Dom Anthony Oger devoted his whole paternal solicitude to aiding his visitors in finding a place suitable for a foundation. The
abbot
communicated Mgr. Richard's proposal to the
prior
of Bonnecombe, who, after two visits to Rogersville decided to accept it, and the project was submitted to the
approbation
of the general chapter. The
abbot
general,
Dom Sebastian Wyart
, urged Dom Emile,
Abbot
of Bonnecombe for
Canada
under the direction of Dom Anthony Piana. On the 5th of the following November the little colony was
solemnly
received at Rogersville by the
pastor
and his parishioners, and took possession of the
monastery
, to which was given the name of Our Lady of Calvary, which was canonically erected into a
priory
12 July, 1904.
Monastery of Our Lady of Jordan, Oregon
In 1904 the Cistercian
monks
of Fontgombault (Indreet-Loire,
France
), were forced to abandon their
monastery
. They, too, looked for a refuge in America. Under the direction of their
abbot
, Dom Fortunato Marchand, they went to
Oregon
to ask for a place of retreat where they would be able to serve
Almighty God
, and observe their rule. The new foundation of Our Lady of Jordan is situated in the township of Jordan, Linn County, about 90 miles from the Pacific Coast, upon a plateau a mile and a half in area. The
property
consists of about 400 acres of land, almost 200 of which are actually under cultivation or in meadow-lands, 100 in wood land, and the remainder covered with brush. A torrent, tributary of the Santiam River, bounds it on the south. Upon this torrent has been built a steam saw-mill in connection with the
monastery
. Here the
Oregon
fir-trees, which attain immense heights, are converted into lumber for the needs of the community and for commerce. The future of this Cistercian community to a great extent rests upon this industry. The land is ordinarily fertile and produces cereals, vegetables, pears, plums, apples, etc. The
monastery
of Our Lady of Jordan was
solemnly
dedicated in 1907, the
Archbishop
of
Oregon
City officiating, in the presence of a large assembly of the
laity
, among whom were many non-Catholics. On the same occasion the Sacrament of Confirmation was administered by the
archbishop
. The Right Rev. Father Thomas,
Abbot
of the
Benedictine
Abbey of Mount Angel, preached the dedicatory sermon, in which he explained the nature and the object of the life of the Cistercians, or
Trappists
The Monastery of Our Lady of Maristella
This
monastery
, at
Taubaté
in the Archdiocese of São Paulo do
Brazil
, is the first, and up to now the only
monastery
of the Cistercian Order in South America. It was founded in 1904 by the Abbey of Septfons in
France
, on a farm, or
fazenda
, at the foot of the Serra Mantiqueira, not far from the railroad between Rio and São Paulo, about twelve miles from
Taubaté
and six from Trememblé, a small place connected with Taubaté by a tramway. The
property
consisting of 4000 or 5000 acres, had remained untilled since the abolition of slavery in 1888, and the buildings were falling into ruins. One half of the land lies along the River Parahyba, and the other, consisting of hills and valleys, forms the base of the chain of mountains of Mantiqueira. Rice, coffee, sugar-cane, Indian corn, etc., are cultivated, and cattle are raised. The climate is temperate, although it is within the tropics. The community, forty in number, has established a
school
for the children of the vicinity.
Sources
Exordes de Cîteaux
(Grande Trappe, 1884); D'Arbois De Jubainville,
Interieur des abbayes cisterciennes au XII et au Les annales d' Aiguebelle
(Valence, 1863); Janauscheck,
Originum Cisterciensium etc.
(Vienna, 1877), I;
Gallia Christiana
, IV; Hélyot,
Dictionnaire des ordres religieux; Ordinis Cisterciensis Jurium etc.
(Rome, 1902);
Abrege de l'histoire de l'ordre de Cîteaux par un moine de Thymadeuc
(St. Brieuc, 1897). Gaillardin,
Histoire de La Trappe
Dom Augustin de Lestrange et les trappists pendant la Revolution
(Grande Trappe, 1898);
Vie du R. P. Urbain Guillet
(Montligeon, 1899); Vérite,
Cîteaux, La Trappe et Bellefontaine
(Paris, 1885); Spalding,
Sketches of the Early Missions of Kentucky, 1781-1826
; Maes,
The life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx
(Cincinnati, 1880);
L'abbaye de Notre-Dame du Lac et l'ordre de Cîteaux au Canada et dans les Etats-Unis
(Montreal, 1907); Tessier,
Bibliotheca Patrum Cisterciensium
(4 vol. 4x, 1660); Alanus De Insulis,
Opera Mosalia
(4x, 1654); Bona,
Opera Omnia
(4x 1677): Caretto,
Santosale del S. Ordine Cisterciense
(4 vol. 4x, 1705); Debreyne, many volumes on theology an medicine; Ughelli,
Italia Sacra
(10 vol. folio, 1717); Henriquez should be quoted for having not only the menologium but also the Phoenix reviviscens (4x, 1626);
Regula Constit. et Privilegia Ord. Cist.
(folio, 1630); Janauscheck,
Bibliographia Bernardina
About this page
APA citation.
Gildas, M.
(1908).
Cistercians.
In
The Catholic Encyclopedia.
New York: Robert Appleton Company.
MLA citation.
Gildas, Marie.
"Cistercians."
The Catholic Encyclopedia.
Vol. 3.
New York: Robert Appleton Company,
1908.
.
Transcription.
This article was transcribed for New Advent by Larry Trippett.
In memory of Fr. Columban, Our Lady of Guadalupe monastery, Oregon, whose kindness and wisdom remain with me.
Ecclesiastical approbation.
Nihil Obstat.
November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.
Imprimatur.
+John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
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