CISTERCIAN ART. The Cistercian monasteries were not, like the Benedictine, centres of the industrial and minor arts; no provision was made for the practice of ivory carving, gold smith work, enameling, illuminating manuscripts or fresco painting. mosaic work, and monumental sculpture. On the other hand, it was necessary to train a school of architects that should under stand the special needs of the Order and build according to its rules. This school originated in Burgundy, and as the Order spread over the whole of Europe and part of the Orient during the twelfth century and became the most power ful of all monastic institutions, as well as the most perfectly organized. its architects carried the Burgundian Cistercian style over a large part of the then civilized world. Pontigny in France, MauIbronn in Germany, Fossanova in Italy, Vernela in Spain are typical establish ments in good preservation of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The high walls inclosing the entire establishment, and insuring protec tion against raids, as well its marking the clois tral limits. were entered through a monumental gateway. and contained large warehouses. barns, and stables, and often a mill, a hospital. and chapel, as well as the main quadrangle of build ings. flanked by a cemetery, garden, and orchard. Of this quadrangle the church usually occupied the left flank, facing the gateway, the dormi tories being on the front, and rear of the quad rangle around the cloister, on the second floor, the ground floor being occupied by a chapel and chapter-house on the side near the church, a refectory and kitchen on the side opposite the church, and reception rooms, passageways. and staircases on the front.
The architectural style of these buildings was plain on principle. The chinch had a plain
gable front without towers, and its material was of stone or brick, left undecorated by figured sculptures or frescoes. The practical element, being so strongly developed, led to a divorce of the decorative from the structural elements in architecture. Stress was laid upon forms of vaulting.. and the Order became associated with the substitution of tunnel. groin. and ribbed vaulting for wooden roofs throughout a large part of Europe. But the influence of the Gothic constructive forms commenced in Bur gundy toward 1 1 60, and the Cistercian archi tects quickly adopted them as in harmony with their own ideas, and propagated them through out Eltrola:. Nevertheless the Order never de veloped the Gothic style in its entirety or to its ultimate forms, but rested satisfied with its elementary stage as more in harmony with the simple ideas of the Order.
The monastie buildings of Fossanova in Italy are a good example of struetures built by French Gist ereian coast rue( ors imported from Bur gundy those of the neighboring Casamari ex emplify the handiwork of the native artists taught by these Frenchmen. So it was every where, especially in Germain' and England. where local peculiarities ?111111 strongly modified the im ported style., and before the close of the thir teenth century the original strictness of the Order was relaxed, and, especially in France, the entire rich system of Gothic decoration adopted, with its floral sculpture, and stained glass. With the fourteenth century the decadence of the Order. replaced in popularity by the Fran ciscans and Dominicans, removed it as a serious factor from the field of art.