The Cambridge Companion to the Cistercian Order

Presents the Order's figureheads, practical life and spiritual horizon, and its contribution to medieval Europe's religious, cultural and political climate.

Mette Birkedal Bruun (Edited by)

9780521171847, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 22 November 2012

336 pages
22.9 x 15.1 x 1.5 cm, 0.55 kg

This volume presents the composite character of the Cistercian Order in its unity and diversity, detailing the white monks' history from the Middle Ages to the present day. It charts the geographical spread of the Order from Burgundy to the peripheries of medieval Europe, examining key topics such as convents, liturgy, art, agriculture, spiritual life and education, providing an insight into Bernard of Clairvaux's life, work and sense of self, as well as the lives of other key Cistercian figures. This Companion offers an accessible synthesis of contemporary scholarship on the Order's interaction with the extramural world and its participation in, and contribution to, the cultural, economical and political climate of medieval Europe and beyond. The discussion contributes to the history of religious orders, and will be useful to those studying the twelfth-century renaissance, the apostolic movement and the role of religious life in medieval society.

Introduction: withdrawal and engagement Mette Birkedal Bruun and Emilia Jamroziak
Part I. History: 1. Foundation and twelfth century Martha G. Newman
2. The Cistercian Order, 1200–1600 Peter King
3. The Cistercian Order since 1600 Michael Casey
Part II. Structure and Materiality: 4. Cistercian centres and peripheries Emilia Jamroziak
5. The Cistercian community James France
6. Cistercian constitutions and the General Chapter Brian Patrick McGuire
7. Cistercian nuns Elizabeth Freeman
8. Cistercian agriculture and economies Constance Hoffman Berman
9. Cistercian art Diane J. Reilly
10. Cistercian libraries and scriptoria David N. Bell
11. Cistercian architecture or architecture of the Cistercians? Thomas Coomans
Part III. Religious Mentality: 12. Bernard of Clairvaux: his first and greatest miracle was himself Christopher Holdsworth
13. Bernard of Clairvaux: work and self M. B. Pranger
14. Early Cistercian writers E. Rozanne Elder
15. The spiritual teaching of the early Cistercians Bernard McGinn
16. Cistercians in dialogue: bringing the world into the monastery Wim Verbaal
17. Cistercian preaching Beverly Mayne Kienzle
18. Cistercian liturgy Nicolas Bell.

Subject Areas: Church history [HRCC2], Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC]