Cistercian architecture is a style ofarchitecture associated with thechurches,monasteries andabbeys of theRoman CatholicCistercian Order. It was heavily influenced byBernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153), who believed that churches should avoid superfluous ornamentation so as not to distract from prayer. Although a few images of religious subjects were allowed, such as thecrucifix, elaborate figures common in medieval churches were prohibited. Later abbeys were constructed inRenaissance andBaroque styles, which were more ornate by nature.
Most of the famous Cistercian abbeys were begun in the 12th and 13th centuries and were located in remote valleys.
In the mid-12th century, one of the leading churchmen of his day, the BenedictineAbbot Suger ofSaint-Denis, united elements ofNorman architecture with elements ofBurgundian architecture (rib vaults and pointed arches respectively), leading to what was later termed Gothic architecture.[1] This "architecture of light" was intended to raise the observer "from the material to the immaterial"[2] – it was, according to the 20th century historianGeorges Duby, a "monument of applied theology".[3] In order to achieve such moving effects, the interiors of many religious buildings were designed to be witnessed at specific times of the day such as sunrise and sunset.[4] Bernard saw much of church decoration as a distraction from piety,[5] and in one of his letters he condemned the more vigorous forms of early 12th century decoration:[6][7]
But in the cloister, in the sight of the reading monks, what is the point of such ridiculous monstrosity, the strange kind of shapely shapelessness? Why these unsightly monkeys, why these fierce lions, why the monstrous centaurs, why semi-humans, why spotted tigers, why fighting soldiers, why trumpeting huntsmen? …In short there is such a variety and such a diversity of strange shapes everywhere that we may prefer to read the marbles rather than the books.[6]
These sentiments were repeated frequently throughout the Middle Ages,[6] and the builders of the Cistercian monasteries had to adopt a style that observed the numerous rules inspired by Bernard's austere aesthetics.[5] However, the order itself was receptive to the technical improvements of Gothic principles of construction and played an important role in its spread across Europe.[5]
This new Cistercian architecture embodied the ideals of the order, and was in theory at least utilitarian and without superfluous ornament.[8] There were prescriptions for liturgy andmusic. According toMatthias Untermann, there were no building regulations regarding architectural plans (in an art historical sense) but rather an emphasis on poverty and simplicitas as described in Cistercian monastic literature.[9] A certain homogeneity resulted: Various buildings, including the chapter-house to the east and the dormitories above, were grouped around acloister, and were sometimes linked to the transept of the church itself by a night stair.[8] Usually Cistercian churches were cruciform, with a shortpresbytery to meet the liturgical needs of the brethren, small chapels in thetransepts for private prayer, and an aislednave that was divided roughly in the middle by a screen to separate the monks from the lay brothers.[10]
The mother house of the order,Cîteaux Abbey, had in fact developed the most advanced style of painting, at least inilluminated manuscripts, during the first decades of the 12th century, playing an important part in the development of the image of theTree of Jesse. However, Bernard of Clairvaux quickly gained influence in the order. Since he was averse to imagery, painting ceased and was finally banned altogether, probably from the revised rules approved in 1154.Crucifixes were allowed, and later some painting and decoration crept back in.[11]Conrad Rudolph argues that Cistercian architecture afterClairvaux I represents a compromise between Bernardine ideals and "architectural monumentality."[12]
The building projects of the Church in theHigh Middle Ages showed an ambition for the colossal, with vast amounts of stone being quarried, and the same was true of the Cistercian projects.[13] Foigny Abbey was 98 metres (322 ft) long, and Vaucelles Abbey was 132 metres (433 ft) long.[13] Monastic buildings came to be constructed entirely of stone, right down to the most humble of buildings. 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.[14]
The Cistercians acquired a reputation in the difficult task of administering the building sites for abbeys and cathedrals.[15] St Bernard's own brother,Achard, is known to have supervised the construction of many abbeys, such asHimmerod Abbey in the Rhineland.[15] Others were Raoul atSaint-Jouin-de-Marnes, who later became abbot there; Geoffrey d'Aignay, sent to Fountains Abbey in 1133; and Robert, sent to Mellifont Abbey in 1142.[15] On one occasion the Abbot of La Trinité atVendôme loaned a monk named John to theBishop of Le Mans,Hildebert de Lavardin, for the building of a cathedral; after the project was completed, John refused to return to his monastery.[15]
The Cistercians "made it a point of honour to recruit the best stonecutters", and as early as 1133, St Bernard was hiring workers to help the monks erect new buildings at Clairvaux.[16] It is from the 12th-centuryByland Abbey in Yorkshire that the oldest recorded example of architectural tracing is found.[17] Tracings were architectural drawings incised and painted in stone, to a depth of 2–3 mm, showing architectural detail to scale.[17] The first tracing in Byland illustrates a westrose window, while the second depicts the central part of that same window.[17] Later, an (idealized) illustration from the latter half of the 16th century showed monks working alongside other craftsmen in the construction ofSchönau Abbey.[16]
Because of the variety found in Cistercian communities, historianMarcel Aubert concluded that, while there was a Cistercian spirit in architecture, there was never a Cistercian architectural style.[18]
The Cistercian order was quite innovative in developing techniques ofhydraulic engineering for monasteries established in remote valleys.[5] In Spain, one of the earliest surviving Cistercian houses, theReal Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Rueda inAragon, is a good example of such early hydraulic engineering, using a largewaterwheel for power and an elaborate water circulation system forcentral heating. Much of this practicality in Cistercian architecture, and indeed in the construction itself, was made possible by the order's own technological inventiveness. The Cistercians are known to have been skilledmetallurgists,[19] and as the historian Alain Erlande-Brandenburg writes:
The quality of Cistercian architecture from the 1120s onwards is related directly to the Order's technological inventiveness. They placed importance on metal, both the extraction of the ore and its subsequent processing. At the abbey of Fontenay the forge is not outside, as one might expect, but inside the monastic enclosure: metalworking was thus part of the activity of the monks and not of the lay brothers. … It is probable that this experiment spread rapidly;Gothic architecture cannot be understood otherwise.[20]
Much of the progress of architecture depended on the mastery of metal, from its extraction to the cutting of the stone, especially in relation to the quality of the metal tools used in construction.[21] Metal was also used extensively by Gothic architects from the 12th century on, intie rods across arches and later in the reinforced stone of theRayonnant style.[22] The other building material, wood, was in short supply after the drastic deforestation of the 10th and 11th centuries.[23] The Cistercians acted with particular care in the careful management and conservation of their forests.[24]
The Cistercian abbeys ofFontenay in France,[25]Fountains in England,[26]Alcobaça in Portugal,[27]Poblet in Spain[28] andMaulbronn in Germany are today recognised asUNESCO World Heritage Sites.[29]
The abbeys of France and England are fine examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The architecture of Fontenay has been described as "an excellent illustration of the ideal of self-sufficiency" practised by the earliest Cistercian communities.[25] The abbeys of 12th century England were stark and undecorated – a dramatic contrast with the elaborate churches of the wealthier Benedictine houses – yet to quote Warren Hollister, "even now the simple beauty of Cistercian ruins such as Fountains and Rievaulx, set in the wilderness of Yorkshire, is deeply moving".[30]
In the purity of architectural style, the beauty of materials and the care with which the Alcobaça Monastery was built,[27] Portugal possesses one of the most outstanding and best preserved examples of Early Gothic.[31] Poblet Monastery, one of the largest in Spain, is considered similarly impressive for its austerity, majesty, and the fortified royal residence within.[28]
The fortified Maulbronn Abbey in Germany is considered "the most complete and best-preserved medieval monastic complex north of theAlps".[29] The Transitional Gothic style of its church had a major influence in the spread of Gothic architecture over much of northern and central Europe, and the abbey's elaborate network of drains, irrigation canals and reservoirs has since been recognised as having "exceptional" cultural interest.[29]
In Poland, the former Cistercian monastery ofPelplin Cathedral is an important example ofBrick Gothic.Wąchock abbey is one of the most valuable examples of Polish Romanesque architecture. The largest Cistercian complex, theAbbatia Lubensis (Lubiąż, Poland), is a masterpiece ofbaroque architecture and the second largest Christian architectural complex in the world.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abbey/Cistercian".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 16–17.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)