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The growth of the Order (1/2) The rate and scale of Cistercian expansion was quite remarkable, not least, since it was unplanned, for the group of monks who left Molesme in 1098 had no intention of founding an order. The early life at Cîteaux attracted few recruits, but by c. 1112 numbers had risen,to the point where new monasteries were needed to house them. The first daughter-house was founded in 1113, and by 1115 Cîteaux’s ‘four elder daughters’ had been established within a 120km radius of their mother-house: La Ferté, Pontigny, Morimond and Clairvaux. All subsequent foundations were affiliated to one of these five abbeys, which formed the roots of the Cistercian family tree.
The rapid growth of the Order in the twelfth century is largely attributable to Bernard of Clairvaux (1115-53), whose energy and guidance led the Cistercians to international prominence. By the mid-twelfth century some 300 abbeys stretched across Western Christendom, from Scandinavia to Sicily, from Ireland to Syria. Expansion brought prestige and renown, but it also created problems; it was now more difficult to maintain standards and impose uniformity on such widely scattered houses. The General Chapter attempted to remedy the situation in 1152 by forbidding the foundation or adoption of new houses. Whilst this slowed down the pace of growth, the Order steadily continued to expand, and by the mid-seventeenth century there were over 1500 Cistercian houses in Europe.
A number of established religious communities were joined to the Cistercian tree through incorporation. Their adoption was dependant upon the approval of the General Chapter; once accepted the house was affliliated to Cîteaux, or one of her ‘elder daughters’ , and followed Cistercian customs. Several congregations were incorporated through absorbtion, the most notable, that of the Savignac Order, whose twenty-nine houses were joined to the Clairvaux line in 1147. |
