Cistercians abbeys and of reformated orders at the romanesque period.
Monday, july 7th
Architectural and artistic unity in the ‘new orders’: deconstructing and resisting a received idea.
Alexis Grelois, Université de Rouen Normandie, UR 3831 GRHis
From the year 1000 in Italy, and a little later in the rest of Europe, a flowering of new religious settlements began and continued until the advent of the mendicant orders in the early 13th century: hermits, canons regular, hospitallers, reformed monks and military religious. Breaking with the then-current forms of monasticism, these new groups emphasised the poverty experienced by Christ and his disciples, which they expressed particularly in their buildings. Among these new orders, the Cistercians stood out for the exceptional number of their abbeys, more than 500 at the time of Bernard de Clairvaux’s death in 1153.
From the turn of the 1930s onwards, Marcel Aubert and the Marquise de Maillé, followed by the Trappist father Anselme Dimier in the 1960s, gave birth to the concept of Cistercian art, to which Georges Duby has given singular prominence, in France and elsewhere. Fernand Pouillon and Le Corbusier admired the Cistercian monasteries for their rejection of ornamentation, the simplicity of their churches and cloisters, the functionality of their abbey enclosures, and their uniformity of style. The celebrations of the ninth centenary of the birth of Bernard de Clairvaux (1990) and of the foundation of Cîteaux (1998), which were accompanied by the founding of the European Charter of Cistercian Abbeys and Sites (1993) have made a powerful contribution to making the reference to the monks of Cîteaux a genuine heritage label. Even the supposed failure of the order – whose success, according to Robert Fossier, only lasted a flash, before its brutal downfall caused by the excessive accumulation of wealth by those who wanted to be the poor of Christ – had the features of a universal moral, With the exception of the Carthusian monasteries (which offer very little architectural evidence dating back to the first two centuries of the Order), similar attempts to showcase the heritage of the new orders born at the turn of the twelfth century, whether La Chaise-Dieu, Grandmont or Fontevraud and their outbuildings, have not met with the same success.
However, the turn of the 21st century saw the emergence of an increasingly radical critique of the concept of Cistercian art, calling into question the idea of a standard plan and highlighting the diversity that existed within a movement in which many houses were affiliated to, rather than created by, the order. Conrad Rudolph showed the aesthetic differences between the real founder of the order, the abbot of Cîteaux Étienne Harding, and Bernard of Clairvaux. While Mathias Untermann reformulated the principle of uniformity in corporate architecture, other researchers have emphasised the fact that Cistercian buildings are rooted in regional architecture. More recently, particularly in the field of musicology, Alicia Scarcez has sought to show the weight of Cluniac traditions in the liturgical reform promoted by Bernard himself. The question of the existence or otherwise of a specifically Cistercian architecture and art remains to be resolved, in particular through a critical re-reading of the textual sources cited.
The novelty of the Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa colloquium is that it places the Cistercians in a wider context encompassing other orders and congregations born at the same time. What was the extent of the ideal of uniformity, which seems to have been shared by the Grandmontains and the Carthusians, but not by the fontevrists?
One of the distinctive features of the new orders highlighted by Jacques Dalarun is that they sought to integrate into their communities, in an organic way, groups that were confined to the margins of traditional monasticism: women, lay people (particularly peasants or warriors) and the sick. The result was mixed structures with architectural translations that are more or less well known (Cistercian or Grandmontain conversos, sisters and conversos of the Premonstratensian canons, etc.). It may therefore be interesting to combine a functional analysis with a reflection on the ostentatious poverty of the new orders. Finally, we still need to analyse the impact of the new artistic forms promoted by certain groups on religious institutions as a whole.
Tuesday, July 8th
A monument to Cistercian thought: the Romanesque abbey church of Fontenay
Philippe Plagnieux
The Fontenay abbey church is one of the oldest surviving Cistercian monuments. It is also the only one to have survived among those built during Saint Bernard’s lifetime. According to traditional historiography, the abbey church built between 1139 and 1147 was derived from the Romanesque church of Clairvaux, built from around 1135 under the rule of Saint Bernard. Fontenay would then be a direct reflection of the thinking of the holy abbot. However, the link between architecture and Saint Bernard needs to be reconsidered. What’s more, the most commonly accepted chronology of Fontenay’s construction needs to be revised, and the project needs to be attributed to one of the twelfth century’s most creative architects: Geoffroy de la Roche-Vanneau. This would make the abbey church a prototype for Cistercian Romanesque architecture.
Cistercian abbeys in Italy in the 12th century: new research
Silvia Beltramo, Politecnico di torino
In Northern Italy, between the mid-12th and early 13th centuries, important religious architectural building sites took shape and were completed within monastic communities. These construction sites saw the experimentation of new architectural solutions, simultaneously consolidating the practice of brick construction in the Po Valley.
By the late 12th century, the main buildings of the early Cistercian foundations were mostly completed, while ongoing work focused on finalising the internal vaulting, façades, and the organization of monastic spaces. Recurrent designs reveal the adoption of models prevalent within the Cistercian network, and the construction techniques employed, in an ongoing implementation of practices, also strengthened the organization of the construction site through the standardization of certain structural elements, such as the realization of vaulted systems.
In-depth studies carried out in recent years on the complexes of Staffarda, Lucedio, Casanova, Rivalta Scrivia, Morimondo, Chiaravalle della Colomba, along with research by colleagues on Chiaravalle Milanese and Cerreto, have enabled the definition of a composite framework for Northern Italian Cistercian architecture. Recent investigations into Cistercian abbeys, particularly in this region, have significantly contributed to the “Cistercian Cultural Heritage” (CCH) project, providing new insights not only into the architecture and its language but also into the spatial dynamics of the monastic complex in relation to both liturgical functions and the daily needs of the monks. This is evidenced by research on monastic refectories and spaces for the hospitality of pilgrims and the infirms.
Advanced studies, conducted with innovative analytical tools, a multidisciplinary approach, and the application of architectural surveys and cultural heritage diagnostics, have furthered research and led to new interpretations of the collected data. This paper will highlight studies undertaken over the years on the abbeys of Staffarda and Morimondo, employing a comparative approach on specific areas of inquiry. Among these, the themes related to construction techniques, historical materials, and design geometries contribute to unveiling the processes of the construction sites, the spread of architectural models, their interpretation by master builders, and the integration between local building practices with those introduced by external connections and influences.
Tra la metà del XII e i primi decenni del XIII secolo nel nord Italia prendono forma e si concludono importanti architetture religiose nel contesto delle comunità monastiche. Nei cantieri si sperimentano nuove soluzioni costruttive, consolidando la prassi del costruire in laterizio nell’ambito della Pianura Padana. Alla fine del XII secolo, le primitive fabbriche cistercensi sono per la maggior parte compiute per quel che riguarda l’edificio principale, mentre i lavori definiscono e completano le coperture interne e le facciate delle chiese, e la successione degli spazi monastici. I progetti ricorrenti propongono l’impiego di modelli diffusi nella rete degli edifici cistercensi e le soluzioni costruttive adottate, in un susseguirsi di pratiche aggiornate, rafforzano anche l’organizzazione del cantiere attraverso la standardizzazione di alcuni elementi costruttivi come, ad esempio, la realizzazione dei sistemi voltati.
Gli approfonditi studi svolti in questi ultimi anni sui complessi di Staffarda, Lucedio, Casanova, Rivalta Scrivia, Morimondo, Chiaravalle della Colomba, e da diversi colleghi su Chiaravalle milanese e Cerreto, hanno permesso di definire un quadro composito sull’architettura cistercense del nord Italia. Le ricerche sulle abbazie cistercensi, in particolare nell’Italia settentrionale, hanno contribuito in modo significativo al progetto internazionale Il patrimonio culturale cistercense: Conoscenza e valorizzazione in un contesto europeo, fornendo nuove conoscenze non solo sull’architettura e sul suo linguaggio, ma anche sulle dinamiche spaziali del complesso monastico in relazione sia alle funzioni liturgiche sia alle esigenze quotidiane dei monaci. Ne sono testimonianza le indagini intraprese sui refettori monastici e sugli spazi di accoglienza per pellegrini e malati.
Con l’ausilio di strumenti analitici innovativi, un approccio multidisciplinare e l’uso di rilievi architettonici e diagnostica dei beni culturali hanno fatto progredire la ricerca e portato a inedite interpretazioni dei dati raccolti.
La relazione darà particolare evidenza agli studi portati avanti negli anni sull’abbazia di Staffarda e su quella di Morimondo con un approccio comparativo relativo a specifici argomenti di studio. Tra questi, i temi relativi alle tecniche costruttive, ai materiali storici e alle geometrie progettuali contribuiscono a svelare i processi dei cantieri, la diffusione dei modelli architettonici, la loro interpretazione da parte dei capomastri e l’integrazione tra le pratiche costruttive locali e quelle introdotte da connessioni e influenze esterne.
Monastic silence and its architectural variations among the Cistercians and Carthusians
Vincent Debiais, EHESS
Spartanism and artistic restraint, the sobriety of decorations and the desire to limit opportunities for visual distraction have been established as the “characteristics” of Cistercian and Carthusian art, the material reflection of the rigours of monastic discipline, the sensitive translation of the principles of humility and discretion, and the indication of a certain mistrust of artistic practices that are too futile to be pure. Thanks to a closer reading of the texts produced in the Cistercian and Carthusian contexts, and a contextualised understanding of the notion of ornatus, this characterisation is largely reconsidered, and we recognise, in the forms and decorations of the Reformed orders, a singular aesthetic, intellectually very elaborate, which grants to the visual, and in a counter-intuitive way, a spiritual efficacy in the service of monastic practices anchored in the economy of the ostentatious means of devotion and in silence. This notion of silence, which was also characteristic of Cistercian and Cartusian spirituality, can now be re-examined through the prism of the texts produced by the Reformed orders, in order to understand it without anachronism and avoid projecting onto the Middle Ages a contemporary silence that has little to do with what religious men and women did with their voices. Silence can also be apprehended in the traces it left in monasteries, in the structure of buildings, in their architectural décor or in manuscript images. This presentation will focus on examining these “signs of silence”, using examples from France and Spain from the Romanesque period.
Les granges cisterciennes. Entre pragmatisme économique et spiritualité du travail manuel
François Blary, ULB
Résumé à venir
The myth of the monk-builders
Carles Sànchez Màrquez, UAB
Ordericus Vitalis’s famous commentary on how Cistercian monks built monasteries with their own hands, together with certain iconographic examples involving monk-builders, have given rise to a legend that is still alive today: the belief that Cistercian architecture was produced almost entirely by monastic architects and craftsmen. This paper aims to respond to certain aspects of this discussion. To this end, the Order’s primary sources and various case studies of lay builders and conversi in the Hispanic kingdoms have been analysed.
The Abbey of Santa Maria di Casanova (Turin)
Ilaria Papa, Université des études de Padoue-ICEA
This paper presents the preliminary results of a study recently carried out on the Cistercian abbey of Santa Maria di Casanova (Turin) as part of the international research project “Cistercian Cultural Heritage: Knowledge and Enhancement in a European Framework – CHH,” coordinated by Silvia Beltramo (Politecnico di Torino-DIST).
Founded in 1142 by monks from Santa Maria and Santa Croce di Tiglieto, and originating from the La Ferté branch, Casanova represents a case of particular interest within the context of Cistercian expansion into the territories beyond the Alps, which began in the 1120s. However, this abbey has historically received less scholarly attention compared to other Cistercian foundations in the same geographical area. Especially regarding the investigation of medieval phases, scholars have faced significant challenges due to extensive architectural transformations that have affected the church since the early 16th century, and to the lack of preserved physical structures of the monastery (completely rebuilt in the early 18th century). More focus has been given to modern period construction sites, with studies predominantly relying on data and interpretations derived from documentary corpora, without providing a comprehensive reading of the built environment.
Moving from these considerations, the research aims to propose reflections on the architectural construction phases (from the mid-12th century to more recent times), using
an integrated methodological approach that combines the study and interpretation of both material and documentary sources, with particular attention given to the initial medieval period. The investigation of material sources formed the core of the study and began with architectural surveying, employing new technologies. In addition to photogrammetric surveying, a portable laser scanner (GeoSlam) was used to document the less accessible parts of the building, such as the attics, which contain traces of pendentive arches and original roof profiles, elements of significant importance for understanding the medieval construction site. Critical surveying of the construction layers involved all visible external façades of the abbey church, but the interpretative reading extended to the interiors as well, maintaining the reference to the overall architectural system. The reconstruction of the relative chronological phases, followed by the establishment of absolute chronology through the interpolation of data from documentary sources, represented a critical synthesis moment.
The research has revealed the central role of the Casanova Abbey in the context of Cistercian foundations in northwest Italy. Through architectural archaeology, some insights into the progression of medieval construction sites have been gained. Moreover, the in-depth study of the ad quadratum geometries that generated the planimetric layout, the systems, techniques, and materials used for constructing the brick masonry, vaulted systems, as well as other functional elements (such as the small tower providing access to the attics), alongside the adopted architectural languages, places the Turin foundation in continuity with the construction tradition of Lombard area. However, other interesting aspects suggest the migration of models from beyond the Alps, comparing what was built to the early Cistercian foundations in Burgundy, while simultaneously demonstrating a capacity to mediate and adapt the ‘ideal model’ to the real context, the site constraints, and the expertise of the local craftsmen. Even in the more strictly local context, the abbey of Casanova stands out as a centre of experimentation. The Cistercian construction site of the mid-12th century thus appears to constitute a kind of ‘watershed,’ not only geographically but also in terms of architectural languages and construction methods.
L’abbazia di Santa Maria di Casanova (Torino)
Questo contributo presenta i primi risultati di uno studio recentemente condotto sull’abbazia cistercense di Santa Maria di Casanova (Torino), inserito nel progetto di ricerca internazionale “Cistercian Cistercian Cultural Heritage: Knowledge and Enhancement in a European framework-CHH”, coordinato da Silvia Beltramo (Politecnico di Torino-DIST). Nata dalla linea di filiazione di La Ferté e fondata nel 1142 dai monaci provenienti da Santa Maria e Santa Croce di Tiglieto, Casanova rappresenta un caso di particolare interesse nel contesto dell’irradiazione cistercense nei territori d’Oltralpe, avvenuto a partire dagli anni Venti del XII secolo. Tuttavia, quest’abbazia ha goduto nel tempo di una considerazione storiografica minore rispetto a quella riservata ad altre fondazioni cistercensi del medesimo
ambito territoriale. Soprattutto per l’indagine delle fasi medievali, gli studiosi si sono misurati con la difficoltà di investigare il costruito a causa delle insistenti trasformazioni architettoniche che, dal principio del XVI secolo, hanno interessato la chiesa e della non conservazione delle strutture materiali del monastero (interamente ricostruito all’inizio del XVIII secolo). Una più ampia attenzione è stata dedicata ai cantieri di età moderna, attraverso ricerche che, tuttavia, si sono perlopiù concentrate su dati e interpretazioni derivanti dai corpus documentari, non proponendo una lettura congiunta del costruito. Muovendo quindi da queste considerazioni, la ricerca sulla chiesa abbaziale di Santa Maria di Casanova ha tentato di formulare alcune riflessioni in merito ai cantieri architettonici (dalla metà del XII secolo fino ai tempi più recenti), attraverso un approccio metodologico integrato di studio e interpretazione delle fonti materiali e di quelle documentarie, riservando specifica cura al cantiere medievale di primo impianto. Nel percorso di conoscenza, l’indagine del costruito ha costituito la parte più consistente del lavoro, ed ha preso avvio dall’attività di rilievo architettonico, condotto impiegando nuove tecnologie. Oltre al rilievo fotogrammetrico, una campagna di rilevamento con laser scanner portatile (GeoSlam) ha permesso di documentare anche le parti meno accessibili dell’edificio- quali i sottotetti, in cui si conservano tracce di archetti pensili e di profili originari delle coperture -, che rivestono grande importanza per la comprensione del cantiere medievale. Il rilievo critico di dettaglio delle stratificazioni costruttive ha interessato tutti i prospetti esterni visibili della chiesa abbaziale, ma la lettura interpretativa delle sequenze costruttive ha riguardato anche gli interni, al fine di non perdere il riferimento al sistema architettonico nel suo complesso. La ricostruzione delle fasi di cronologia relativa e poi di quella assoluta, ottenuta interpolando le informazioni derivanti dalle fonti documentarie, ha rappresentato il momento di sintesi critica.
La ricerca ha consentito di mettere in luce la centralità dell’abbazia di Casanova nel panorama delle fondazioni cistercensi del nord-ovest di Italia. Grazie all’archeologia dell’architettura si sono innanzitutto potute precisare alcune riflessioni inerenti alla progressione del cantiere medievale. L’approfondimento dello studio delle geometrie ad quadratum generative dell’impianto planimetrico, di tecniche e materiali costruttivi impiegati per la realizzazione delle strutture murarie in laterizio, dei sistemi voltati, nonché di altri elementi funzionali (ad esempio la torretta scalare di accesso ai sottotetti), insieme ai linguaggi architettonici adottati, pongono la fondazione torinese in continuità con la tradizione costruttiva di ambito lombardo. Tuttavia, sono emersi altresì altri interessanti aspetti che suggeriscono una migrazione di modelli d’Oltralpe, avvicinando quanto realizzato alle esperienze del primo nucleo di fondazioni cistercensi borgognone, ma testimoniando al contempo una capacità di mediazione e adattamento del ‘modello ideale’ al contesto reale, ai vincoli del sito e all’expertise delle maestranze, che furono con ogni probabilità di provenienza locale. Anche in riferimento al contesto più strettamente locale, l’abbazia di Casanova si distingue come polo di sperimentazione. Il cantiere cistercense della metà del XII secolo sembra dunque costituire una sorta di ‘spartiacque’, non soltanto geografico, ma tra linguaggi architettonici e modi di costruire
The church Saint-Maxenceul de Cunault (Maine-et-Loire) and the small-bond construction during the Middle Ages in the Saumur region
Mathis Prézelin, Université de Toulouse Jean-Jaurès, Université Bordeaux-Montaigne
Located on the south bank of the Loire river, between Angers and Saumur, the church Saint-Maxenceul de Cunault is a small rural church in ruins, that remained for a long time in the shadow of the priory church Notre-Dame, a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture in Anjou. The study of the assembly of the church Saint-Maxenceul, done as part of the master’s degree Mondes médiévaux of the University of Toulouse, shines a light on eight centuries of local architectural history. It establishes the different phases of successive construction, destruction, and adjustments of the building, until its abandonment in 1754 following the collapse of the bell tower onto the roof of the nave during a storm. The main interest of the church is the difficulty in concretely dating the small-bond masonry of one of its gutter walls. Indeed, the study of this particular small bond, made of vertically arranged rubble, with more or less regular bases, is an opportunity to place this type of work in the architectural context of Anjou, in order to reconsider the dating attributed to the buildings with the same characteristics. Through the creation of a small corpus of rural churches from the Saumur region, the challenge is to develop a characterization grid capable of producing a typology to help with the question of dating, by helping to identify the discriminating features of vertical small-bond elevations. An array of methodological tools helps to identify these masonries with precision. The statistical method is especially used to characterize the implementation, by questioning the link between the length and the height of the rubble, the regularity of the stone cutting or the proportion of the materials used. The characterization of the vertical small-bond walls in the Saumur region broaches the themes of supply, scaffolding restoration and the practice of re-use, to place the buildings in their construction contexts. This research tries to contribute to a better understanding of the local construction logics, by using an archeological and statistical approach of the assembly, and offers a framework of analysis applicable to a larger corpus of small-bond elevations.
Wednesday, July 9th
Excursion to Fontfroide abbey, and Sainte-Marie des Olieux (Narbonne)
Thursday, July 10th
Sénanque: archaeological, geological and artistic study of a 12th-century Cistercian cloister.
Heike Hansen (Aix-Marseille-Université, LA3M), Andreas Hartmann-Virnich (Aix-Marseille-Université, LA3M), Sylvain Demarthe (Université Paul-Valéry, Montpellier), Dylan Nouzeran (IRHiS – UMR 8529, Lille), François Fournier (Aix-Marseille Université, Cerege), Philippe Léonide (Aix-Marseille Université, Cerege)
Our paper presents the initial results of the Sénanque inter-university and interdisciplinary research project. Archaeological, geological and artistic study of a Cistercian cloister in Romanesque Provence (12th century) conducted in several campaigns over the course of 2025 with the financial support of the Universities of Aix-Marseille and Montpellier. This project follows on from a programme of archaeological survey and study carried out in 2021-2023 as part of the restoration work, which highlighted the potential of an archaeological analysis of the buildings based on a stone-by-stone survey combining both manual and digital approaches to characterise in detail the organisation of the construction site for the church and the adjoining wing of the cloister buildings, and to clarify the progress of the construction site well beyond the achievements of previous research. The new study of the cloister brings together the archaeological survey and analysis of the building and the geological analysis of the materials used to build the walls and vaults and the elements of the sculpted decoration. The cloister is the subject of a new, in-depth approach aimed at redefining its special place in the monumental art of the Second Romanesque Age in Provence.
A study of the buildings shows that the construction site at Sénanque Abbey, founded in 1148 by the Ardèche abbey of Mazan and built between the second half of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th centuries, demonstrates the impact of topographical constraints on the management of the site, which initially had to control the local watercourse by designing a system of vaulted drains combined with a large number of vaulted substructures, the implementation of which ultimately disrupted the initial project. At the level of the future cloister, the spacing of the rooms on the level adjoining the dormitory wing, located in the extension of the west-facing transept of the church and built at the same time, had to be altered to accommodate a reduction in the length of the future gallery adjoining the cloister. The construction of the gallery and the gallery running alongside the church closely followed this phase of the project, which was then completed by the vaulting, which was placed at a level that was incompatible with the openings in the chapter house already in place, whose rib vaults were in turn inserted at the expense of the bays already built. The contrast between the coherent, rational organisation of each phase of the building work and the incongruity of the changes that occurred from one phase to the next characterises the hazards of completing a project carried out by one or more teams of workers accustomed to dealing with unforeseen problems as they arose. One of the many new elements in this new, complex chronology is the discovery of an extension to the gallery running alongside the church, which probably formed a whole with the destroyed vaulted porch, the remains of which can still be seen on the south façade of the nave.
The geological study confirms that the decoration in the north and east galleries was made using different varieties of stone to those used in the other two galleries, a difference that is consistent with the distribution of the forms of the sculpted decoration. As for the stylistic approach, the case of Sénanque calls into question the concept of ‘Cistercian art’, renowned for the sobriety – if not the absence – of its decoration. The ‘luxury of vegetation’ noted in the mid-nineteenth century by Louis Rostan, the inspector of Historic Monuments in the Var region, once again calls for a more nuanced and fresh look at the Order’s artistic production, which for too long – despite attempts to decompartmentalise it – has been confined within its long historiography.
Sculpture produced in the Cistercian sphere in the 12th century has not aroused the interest of researchers. It is often reduced to its simplest expression and is based on the repetition of a plant motif of smooth leaves, which can be very graphic. In the cloister of the Provençal abbey of Sénanque, however, the decoration created in the second half of the 12th century develops a different aesthetic. The capitals, sometimes inspired by ancient models, like other frieze decorations, offer a wide range of more supple and open vegetation. Some of the capitals also hint at the ‘early Gothic’ style, whose references appear to be more northerly.
Observations currently underway have made it possible to place much of this sculpture, as well as some of the elements used in the cloister’s clerestory windows, within a broader Provençal production with antiquis references. While this re-contextualisation is not surprising, it does raise new questions about the outdated concept of “Cistercian art”.
Inheritance and Opportunism in the Early Architecture of Regular Canons in the Ancient Archdiocèse of Reims
Sheila Bonde, Clark Maines
In 1967, J. C. Dickinson asked whether regular canons developed an architecture with characteristics appropriate to their order, as he believed the Cistercians and, later, the Franciscans had done. Dickinson’s response to his own question was “…almost certainly negative.” Dickinson and scholars after him sought a ‘package’ of consistent plan form and decorative elements. In this paper, we point instead to the phenomenon of inheritance.
New Augustinian communities of men and women often initially occupied former parish or collegiate churches during the religious reform which characterized the late eleventh and twelfth centuries. As such, the reformers inherited a church, and often attendant functional structures typical of religious houses. The new, regular communities also inherited the past—lands, rights, possessions and historical memory—of the communities they replaced.
In our paper, we examine the architecture of regular canons—independent Augustinian, Victorine, Arrouaisian, and Praemonstratensian men and women—all of whom followed the Rule of Saint Augustine, regardless of the differences in the customs of their orders. Regular canons and canonesses flourished throughout France during the Middle Ages, but we will focus on the ancient archdiocese of Reims. That region saw the establishment of 78 houses of regular canons during the late eleventh and twelfth centuries including the mother house of Prémontré. In 60% of these early foundations, we find evidence of the inheritance of predecessor structures.
Inheritance is thus a critical and overlooked characteristic of the architecture of early regular canons. Recognition of inheritance as a critical component shapes our treatment of canonial architecture during the early phase of the history of these communities. Important questions become: What did the regular canons and canonesses inherit? And (how) did they modify the buildings they inherited?
The first Carmelite establishments around the Mediterranean (12th-14th century): from the Near East to Provence
Margot Hoffelt
Long neglected in the research conducted on monastic orders, the order of the Carmelites still has much to reveal on an archaeological level. Born from the grouping of several religious within the caves of Mount Carmel at the end of the 12th century, this singular order was established on the island of Cyprus and in Sicily before reaching the coasts of Provence in the second third of the 13th century. Through the intersection of historical and archaeological sources, this communication proposes to trace its itinerary, striving to characterize the evolution of its settlement dynamics and its architecture which, originally semi-troglodytic, slides towards complexes inspired by Western monastic orders.
Cistercian stained glass windows: genesis, aesthetics and architectural setting
Sylvie Balcon-Berry, Sorbonne Université
As a result of numerous destructions, very few Cistercian stained glass windows have survived. In France, Helen Zakin, author of a thesis on the subject, has identified six sites that still have stained glass windows in situ, or for which there is evidence of windows that have now been removed. These are La Bénisson-Dieu (Loire), Obazine (Corrèze), Noirlac (Cher), Bonlieu (Creuse), Pontigny (Yonne) and La Chalade (Meuse).
The case of Clairvaux (Aube) is also worth mentioning, because although no medieval glasswork has been preserved, old descriptions mention stained glass windows made of white glass. The same applies to Beaulieu (Tarn-et-Garonne), where Viollet-le-Duc saw stained glass windows in 1843; he published an engraving of one of the windows, now lost.
We will present these elements, in relation to their architectural context, in order to examine the genesis, development and aestheticism of Cistercian stained glass.
An Illuminated Manuscript of The City of God from the Cistercian Abbey of Berdoues (Gers)
Emilie Nadal, Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes
Among the hundred medieval manuscripts from the Augustinian convent of Toulouse—currently being studied as part of a Biblissima-funded research project—about ten 12th-century volumes remain little known, and their origins are still uncertain. One of the most beautiful is a copy of Saint Augustine’s The City of God, bearing the ex-libris of the Cistercian abbey of Berdoues (Toulouse, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 164). Its decorated initials have rarely been examined. In 1955, Jean Porcher linked this manuscript to another Cistercian work, the so-called Bible of Gimont (Auch, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 1). This remarkable collection of initials, featuring fantastic animals and intricate interlace designs, offers a valuable opportunity to revisit the subject of Romanesque Cistercian illumination in southwestern France.
Friday, July 12th
Morning: Santa Maria de Serrabona, visit
The “new” monasticism in Southern Italy: manuscripts, fragments and documents from Montevergine (Campania)
Veronica de Duonni, Université de Salerno
The Abbey of Montevergine was founded by William of Vercelli (1085–1142) in the first quarter of the 12th century on Mount Partenio, in the province of Avellino, southern Italy. William, a penitent and hermit, after completing a pilgrimage to Compostela, set out on a new journey intending to reach the Holy Land, but eventually settled in the Apennine regions of southern Italy, where he established important monastic communities. His compelling spiritual presence soon began to attract followers—men and women, disciples and priests—eager to serve God. Within two or three decades, the Verginian community adopted an organizational model inspired by the Benedictine traditions of Monte Cassino and Cava de’ Tirreni, while simultaneously distinguishing itself as a prominent interpreter of the emergent forms of spirituality historians refer to as the”religiosity of works.” This was manifested through active engagement with the laity, particularly via hospital care, the promotion of pilgrimage, and the practice of oblation. Thus, the abbey came to embody a form of 12th-century ‘new’ monasticism that combined a hermitic spirit with a return to the original ideals of the Benedictine experience, while also exploring new forms of lay organization. A significant dimension of Montevergine’s cultural history is its contribution to the art of manuscript decoration, which prompts the fundamental question of whether the abbey possessed its own scriptorium. Establishing its existence, however, remains challenging due to the extensive losses suffered over the centuries. The small number of surviving testimonies— some of which are now held in other libraries —likely reflects only a fraction of the abbey’s original output, with losses attributable both to incidental causes and to the broader historical vicissitudes experienced by the monastic community. Nevertheless, through the combined analysis of surviving codices, archival materials, and indirect references, has been able to reconstruct a corpus of illuminated manuscripts associated with Montevergine. Among these, despite the fragmentary and at times uncertain nature of the evidence, one document stands out as definitively attributable to the abbey: the so-called ‘Statute of Abbot Donato’. Distinguished by the presence of human and divine figures integrated into the text, endowing it a unique solemnity, the document becomes the identity manifesto of the congregation itself.
Il “nuovo” monachesimo nell’Italia meridionale: manoscritti, frammenti e documenti da Montevergine (Campania)
L’abbazia di Montevergine fu fondata da Guglielmo da Vercelli (1085-1142) nel primo quarto del XII secolo, sul monte Partenio in provincia di Avellino (Italia meridionale). Il penitente ed eremita Guglielmo, dopo aver compiuto un pellegrinaggio a Compostela, intraprese un nuovo viaggio con l’intento di giungere in Terra Santa, ma finì per stabilirsi nelle regioni appenniniche del Sud Italia ove diede vita ad importanti comunità monastiche. Ben presto la forte personalità dell’eremita non tardò però ad attirare seguaci, uomini e donne, discepoli e sacerdoti desiderosi di servire Dio. Nel volgere di due-tre decenni la comunità verginiana si volse decisamente verso un modello di organizzazione di tipo cassinese-cavense, riuscendo però a porsi come autorevole interprete di quelle nuove esigenze religiose che gli storici indicano come ‘religiosità delle opere’, svolgendo un’opera di animazione religiosa del laicato attraverso l’assistenza ospedaliera, la pratica del pellegrinaggio e l’oblazione. Si configura, quindi, come quel ‘nuovo’ monachesimo di XII secolo di impronta eremitica e impegnato, nello stesso tempo, al recupero dello spirito originario dell’esperienza benedettina, oltre che a sperimentare nuove forme di organizzazione laicale. Un capitolo importante della storia artistica dell’abbazia è certamente legato alla decorazione libraria, che pone come primo interrogativo la presenza o meno di uno scriptorium nell’abbazia. Definirne l’esistenza, tuttavia, risulta un’impresa complessa tenuto conto delle grandi perdite. La natura esigua delle testimonianze sopravvissute – conservate anche presso altre biblioteche -, rispetto sicuramente alla presenza di una più ampia produzione libraria, va imputata a causa incidentali, ma anche alle vicissitudini che la congregazione ha dovuto subire nel corso del tempo. L’analisi dei manoscritti, insieme a quella del materiale archivistico e delle testimonianze indirette ha permesso di ricostruire un corpus dei codici decorati legati all’abbazia di Montevergine. E se anche i frammenti presentano dubbi e incertezze, di sicura produzione verginiana è il cosiddetto “Statuto dell’abato Donato”, la cui singolarità è data dalla presenza di figure umane e divine che accompagnano il testo conferendogli una solennità unica e diventando il manifesto identitario della stessa congregazione.
From L’Architecture cistercienne by Marcel Aubert to Saint Bernard by Jean Leclercq and Georges Duby and Le Rêve cistercien by Léon Pressouyre (1943- 1994). Reflections on a historiographical myth
Xavier Barral i Altet
Cistercian art is generally defined as buildings that seek architectural simplicity and reject superfluous decoration, in keeping with the order’s principles of religious asceticism and poverty. The results would have been clean, empty, simple and highly original architecture. The first Cistercian art would define the transition from late Romanesque to early Gothic. This is the definition most commonly used by the general public, of which has sometimes been referred to as the Cistercian myth.
But in the second half of the twentieth century, Cistercian art was approached in a variety of ways, from the nineteenth-century-style monumental archaeology of Marcel Aubert (1884-1962) to the practical archaeology of Léon Pressouyre (1935-2009), not forgetting the approach to art through spirituality of Dom Jean Leclercq (1911-1993). In the case of Georges Duby (1919-1996), beyond his synthesis of thought, it is the beauty of his writing that prevails. In 1962, the volume devoted to Cistercian art appeared in the La nuit des temps collection published by Zodiaque, with the monumental part entrusted to Dom Anselme Dimier (1898-1975). The sumptuous black-and-white plates reproduced in heliogravure have made a powerful contribution to what Philippe Plagnieux has called sacred wandering and “tourist pilgrimage”.