Exploring Medieval Monasteries, part 10

Hello. There was something of a sea-changing religious feeling in Western Europe, begins in the late 11th century and goes on into the 12th century. A dissatisfaction with the way monastic life had developed. A view that the Benedictine and Cluniac houses had lost their way. That for the average monk, life had become simply too comfortable. They're well-fed, well-clothed, well-housed, not doing any manual work, involved in an elaborate routine of daily liturgy, integrated into the agricultural economy as feudal lords. And this feeling of dissatisfaction triggers a wave of reforming back to basic zeal that will lead to new orders. Now, arguably the most successful, certainly so in England, were the Cistercians. They will transform monastic life in 12th century Britain. The very first Cistercian house was at Waverley near Farnham in Surrey. And these are the remains of the lay brothers' range. It was founded by William Gifford, the Bishop of Winchester, in 1128 and colonised by French monks. Tintin, Revo and Fountains will follow very soon after. And eventually there will be around 70 Cistercian houses in England and Wales. Now, the order has its beginnings with a Benedictine monk, Robert of Malem. He was the abbot of a Benedictine monastery, was trying to introduce reforms, found it very difficult to get his reforms accepted, and with a few like-minded companions, left his abbey and moved to a more isolated spot, and in 1098 founded a new religious house at Seto, south of Dijon. And at Seto, they're following the rule of St Benedict, but more strictly than had become customary in the Benedictine and Cluniac houses, and manual labour was reinstated as part of the daily routine. Among the early members of that community was a monk from Sherborne Abbey, an English monk, a man called Stephen Harding. And we can see a nice illustration here of Robert of Malem, Stephen Harding, and a fellow founder monk, Albrecht, kneeling before the Virgin Mary. And after Robert, both Stephen and Albrecht were following in his footsteps as abbot at Seto. And Stephen compiled the rule for what will become the Cistercian order. It's called the Carta Caritatis, the Charter of Charity. Now, as in the last session, we saw St Bruno and the Carthusians. Bruno wasn't intending to start a new order. The same with Robert of Malem. He's merely interested in a return to closer observance of the ideals of St Benedict. And it is a later abbot who arrives, Bernard of Clairvaux, in the 12th century, who then establishes some daughter houses to Seto, and the separate order begins to emerge. Based on rigour, based on austerity, none of the finery that has begun to overtake the Benedictine and Cluniac monasteries, no grand and flamboyant architecture, no elaborate fixtures and fittings, no indulgent services, no fine dining. These are their ideals. Over time, of course, the Cistercians become very wealthy. What are they going to spend their money on? Well, buildings and lifestyle, and these ideals will be forgotten. Emphasis on manual labour in the early days, but they will go on to recruit large numbers of lay brothers, more lay brothers than any other order. And following these early ideals, the Cistercian houses start off in wild and remote places, which their labour will soon tame. Woodland will be cleared, marshes will be drained, fishponds dug, rivers straightened, diverted, re-channeled, mills will be built. They also introduce a system of outlying forms to serve the monastery. They're known as granges. This system is invented by the Cistercians. Now, I mentioned that first Cistercian house in England at Waverley, 1128. That was followed by Tinton in 1131. Fountains in Revo, both in 1132. Three of the most impressive and best-preserved abbeys in Europe. Did I say no grand and flamboyant architecture? This is how the ideals would become diluted. Many of the founders of these Cistercian abbeys are royal, or nobles who are part of the royal inner circle. There seems to be something of a fashion for the Cistercian houses at the time. And then we have the monks' desire for inhospitable locations. If you're giving away poor quality land, then perhaps the patrons think it's not costing me very much to found a Cistercian abbey. They want the most inhospitable places. The foundation history of Fountains Abbey, which was written by Hugh of Kirkstall in the early 13th century, describes the site when it was given to them. Uninhabited for all the centuries back, thick-set with thorns, and fit rather to be the lair of wild beasts than the home of human beings. Its name was Skeldale. Some of the foundations were made instead of more arduous vows or penances. William, the Earl of York, who was commonly known as William the Gross, had vowed to undertake a pilgrimage. He grew too old and he grew too fat, so instead he founded a Cistercian abbey. It was near Beverley in Yorkshire, Mews Abbey. There are no remains today. Now, the monks may have been given wild land, poor locations. It does not necessarily mean that the land was uninhabited. And the Cistercian monks are not averse to evicting peasants, create the solitude that they deem requisite. And the Cistercians earned quite a reputation as depopulators. The little village of Musden in Staffordshire, the villagers there were moved out to make way for Croxton Abbey, founded in 1176 by Bertram de Verdun, the Lord of Alton. Now, next time I'm going to look at the houses of Canons and I'm going to begin with the Augustinians. If you've enjoyed this video, hit the like and subscribe buttons and click on the notification bell to be informed when the next video is released. Or you can subscribe by clicking on the rose window over my shoulder.