CISTERCIANS, a religious order, taking its name from the parent monastery of Citeaux (Cistercium), near Dijon, which was founded in 1098 by the Benedictine abbot, Robert of 3Io16me. Through the influence chiefly of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who became a monk of Citeaux in 1113, the order, within little more than It century after its foundation, was in possession of more than 1800 abbeys in France, Germany, Eng land, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The C. were distinguished from the order of Clugny by their severer rule and stricter poverty, avoiding any splendor in their churches, even gold and silver crosses; by being submissive to the jurisdiction of the bishops, at least till after the death of St. Bernard; by not meddling with the cure of souls; by wearing a white robe with a black seapulary; and by their peculiar form of government, which was introduced by Innocent III., in 1215, into all the monastic orders. In France, the members of this order called themselves Bernardines, in honor of St. Bernard. Among the fraternities emanating from the C., the most remarkable were
the Barefooted monks or Feuillaus, and the nuns of Port Royal in France, the Ilecollets or or reformed Cistercian nuns in Spain, and the Trappists. The number of Cistercian abbeys in England, in the reign of Henry vial., was 75, besides 26 Cistercian nunneries. In Scotland, there were 11 abbeys, and 7 nunneries. Among the English abbeys were Woburn, Tilden), Furness, Fountains, Kirkstall. and Itievaux; among the Scottish, Melrose, Dundrennan, Kinloss, Glenluce, Culross, Deer, Balmerino, and Sweetheart or New Abbey. The chief French abbeys, Ms quatre premieres ,tiles de Citeamr, as they were called, were La Pert& Pontigny, tlairvaux, and Morimond. Inches and indolence brought this powerful order, as well as others, into decay. Even before the reforma tion, many of their convents had ceased to exist. The French revolution reduced the C. to a few convents in Spain, Poland, Austria, and Saxony.