 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in French. (September 2009)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Cîteaux Abbey (French:Abbaye de Cîteaux[abe.id(ə)sito]) is aCatholicabbey located inSaint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south ofDijon,France.[1] It is notable for being the original house of theOrder of Cistercians. Today, it belongs to theTrappists (also called the Cistercians of the Strict Observance).
The abbey has about 35 monks.[2] The community produces a cheese branded under the abbey's name, as well as caramels and honey-based candies.
Cîteaux Abbey was founded on Saint Benedict's Day, 21 March 1098,[3] by a group of monks fromMolesme Abbey seeking to follow more closely theRule of St. Benedict. The Abbey was supported by Renaud, Vicomte de Beaune, and Odo I, Duke of Burgundy.[4] They were led by SaintRobert of Molesme,[5] who became the firstabbot. The site was wooded and swampy, in a sparsely populated area. Thetoponym predates the abbey, but its origin is uncertain. Theories include a derivation fromcis tertium [lapidem miliarium], "this side of the third (milestone)" of the Roman road connectingLangres andChalons sur Saône,[6] or alternatively fromcisternae "cisterns", which in Middle Latin could refer to stagnant pools of a swamp.[7]
In the year 1111, the monastery produced the illuminated manuscript now known as the CîteauxMoralia in Job.[8]
The second abbot was SaintAlberic, and the third abbotSaint Stephen Harding, who wrote theCarta Caritatis that described the organisation of the order.Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who would later be proclaimedDoctor of the Church, was a monk of Cîteaux Abbey and was sent in 1115 to foundClairvaux Abbey, of which he became the first abbot. Saint Bernard was influential in the exponential growth of the Cistercian Order that followed.
The great church of Cîteaux Abbey, begun in around 1140, was completed in 1193. TheDukes of Burgundy subsequently used it as their dynastic place of burial. Other dignitaries were buried in side chapels, perhaps most famously the magnificenttomb of Philippe Pot, a high Burgundian official who died in 1493.[9]
By the beginning of the 13th century the order had more than 500 houses and Cîteaux became an important center of Christianity. In 1244, KingLouis IX of France (Saint Louis) and his motherBlanche of Castile visited the abbey.
During theHundred Years' War, the monastery was pillaged in 1360 (the monks sought refuge in Dijon), in 1365, 1434 and 1438. In 1380,the Earl of Buckingham stayed atL'Aumône Abbey, a daughter house of Cîteaux located in the forest ofMarchenoir whilst his army was quartered in the surrounding Forest.[10]
Since Cîteaux, the head of the order, had to meet extraordinary demands above and beyond those of other Cistercian abbeys, its campus was different. There had to be accommodations for the delegates of the annual chapter, their entourages and horses, but also for the ducal family. These obligations had an impact on the development of the abbey's infrastructure.[11]
To the north, the abbey's gatehouse opened onto a first courtyard, the so-called "lower courtyard," which was flanked by large buildings for guests and pilgrims. At its southern end there was a second gate, the upper floor of which was reserved for the accommodation of the Duchesses of Burgundy. It opened onto a large courtyard of honor, which in turn led to the residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. This courtyard also included buildings that were only used during the General Chapter.[11]
In the beginning of the 16th century, the abbey had a strong community of about 200 members. However, it suffered badly in theFrench Wars of Religion and slowly declined for the next century. in 1589, soldiers stormed and looted the abbey, reportedly carrying away "three hundred wagonloads of booty" and leaving the monastery in ruins. Cîteaux was left "practically abandoned for years," and it took until around 1610 for any sort of stable monastic life to be re-established there.[12]
In 1698, the abbey had 72 professed monks. In 1790, in the wake of theFrench Revolution, the monks were offered a pension if they agreed to return to civilian life. Fourteen of them, including Abbot Francois Trouvé, refused the offer, while twenty-nine took it. The abbey was seized and the property sold off by the government; what was left was looted by the local population. To calm the ensuing violence, a minor squad under the direction ofNapoléon Bonaparte was called in.[13]Trappist monks resumed monastic life at the abbey in 1898,[14][15] and they continue to reside there.[16]
47°07′41″N5°05′36″E / 47.12806°N 5.09333°E /47.12806; 5.09333
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
