Cîteaux (Cistercian Abbey)

Cîteaux Abbey, founded in 1098 in France, is the original monastery of the Cistercian order, a religious community of monks committed to a life of prayer, manual labor, and simplicity. Emphasizing strict adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict, the abbey promoted a return to a more austere and disciplined monastic life, focusing on farming, craftsmanship, and self-sufficiency. Cîteaux became a model for later Cistercian houses and influenced medieval religious and agricultural practices. Today, it stands as a historic symbol of monastic devotion, architectural heritage, and the reform movement within medieval Christianity.