Best Cistercian
Cîteaux Abbey was founded in 1098 in Burgundy by Robert of Molesme as a reformed Benedictine community observing stricter adherence to the Rule of Saint Benedict. It became the mother house of the Cistercian Order, whose network of daughter houses expanded rapidly across Europe during the 12th centu...
Maulbronn Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located in Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1147, the complex is widely considered one of the best-preserved medieval monastic complexes north of the Alps. It features a unique combination of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles...
Fontenay Abbey was founded in 1118 by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in the Burgundy region of France. It is one of the oldest and best-preserved Cistercian abbeys, retaining its church, cloister, dormitory, and forge buildings. The abbey functioned until the French Revolution and has been classified as...
Maulbronn Monastery is a former Cistercian abbey located in Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1147, the complex is widely considered to be the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery complex north of the Alps. Its architecture represents a transition between the Romanesque and G...
The Alcobaça Monastery is a Cistercian Catholic monastery located in the town of Alcobaça, Portugal. It was founded in 1153 by King Afonso Henriques and became the first Gothic building in Portugal. The abbey functions as a royal necropolis, housing the ornate tombs of King Pedro I and Inês de Castr...
Clairvaux Abbey was founded in 1115 by Bernard of Clairvaux in the Champagne region of France as the fourth daughter house of the Abbey of Cîteaux. It became one of the most influential monasteries of the Cistercian Order, serving as a mother house for dozens of daughter foundations across Europe. B...
The Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet is a Cistercian monastery located in the comarca of Conca de Barberà, Catalonia, Spain. Founded in 1151, the complex became the royal pantheon for the kings and queens of the Crown of Aragon. The monastery follows strict Cistercian architectural principles, c...
Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the Vienna Woods, Lower Austria, founded in 1133 by Margrave Leopold III of Austria. It ranks among the oldest continuously occupied Cistercian monasteries in the world and remains an active religious community. The complex integrates Romanesque, Goth...
Eberbach Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located near Eltville in the Rheingau region of Hesse, Germany. Established in 1136, the abbey grew to become one of the oldest and wealthiest monasteries in the country. Its preserved complex features striking medieval Romanesque and early Gothic arch...
Cistercian royal monastery in Burgos, Spain, founded in 1187 by King Alfonso VIII of Castile and Queen Eleanor of England; served as a royal pantheon and its abbess held exceptional ecclesiastical authority.
Rievaulx Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in North Yorkshire, England, located in the Rye Valley near Helmsley. Founded in 1132 by Bernard of Clairvaux with colonizing monks from Clairvaux, it became the first Cistercian house in northern England and eventually established numerous daughter ho...
Le Thoronet Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the Var department of Provence, France, founded in the 12th century. It is one of the three Cistercian "Sisters of Provence," alongside Silvacane and Sénanque. The abbey exemplifies the austere Cistercian style with plain stone walls, minimal orn...
Zwettl Abbey is a Cistercian monastery located in Lower Austria, founded in 1137 by Hadmar I of Kuenring. The complex includes a medieval manuscript library and a church. The abbey has remained in operation since its founding and is one of the older Cistercian houses in the German-speaking region. I...
Melrose Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in the town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders, founded in 1136 by King David I of Scotland with monks from Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire. The original monastery was repeatedly damaged and rebuilt during the Wars of Scottish Independence, and much of the...
Furness Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery on the Furness peninsula in Cumbria, England, founded in 1123 with the patronage of Stephen, Count of Boulogne, who later became King of England. The abbey grew to control extensive estates and was among the wealthiest monastic houses in northern Englan...
Hautecombe Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located on the shores of Lac du Bourget in Savoie, France. Founded in 1125, it served as the traditional necropolis and burial site for the Counts and Dukes of Savoy. After being suppressed during the French Revolution, the abbey was significantly re...
Sedlec Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the Sedlec district of Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, founded in 1142 as the first Cistercian house in Bohemia. The abbey grounds include the Sedlec Ossuary, a small chapel beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints whose interior decorations, fashioned f...
Bebenhausen Monastery is a former Cistercian abbey located near Tübingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, founded around 1183 by Count Rudolf I of Tübingen. The monastery was dissolved in 1535 during the Protestant Reformation under Duke Ulrich of Württemberg. Its architecture is predomin...
Sénanque Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque) is a Cistercian monastery founded in 1148 near Gordes in the Luberon region of Provence, France. Its Romanesque church and cloister reflect the austere architectural principles associated with early Cistercian foundations. The site is widely photographe...
Lérins Abbey is an active Cistercian monastery situated on the Île Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands off the coast of Cannes, France. It was originally founded around the year 410 by Honoratus, establishing it as one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in Western Europe. Througho...
Fürstenfeld Abbey (Kloster Fürstenfeld) is a former Cistercian monastery located in Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, Germany, approximately 25 kilometers west of Munich. It was founded in 1263 by Louis II, Duke of Upper Bavaria, as a Cistercian house. The abbey church, rebuilt in the early 18th century, i...
San Galgano is a ruined Cistercian abbey located in Tuscany, Italy, with construction beginning in the early 13th century. The site is distinguished by its roofless Gothic nave that remains structurally intact despite centuries of abandonment. Adjacent to the main ruins stands the Rotonda di Montesi...
Lubiąż Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located in Lower Silesia, Poland, originally founded in 1175. Following its reconstruction in the 17th and 18th centuries, the site evolved into one of the largest Baroque monastic complexes in Europe, encompassing over 22,000 square meters of floor spac...
Noirlac Abbey (Abbaye de Noirlac) is a former Cistercian monastery in the Cher department of Berry, central France, founded in 1136 by monks from Clairvaux. It is regarded as one of the best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in France, with a 12th- and 13th-century church and cloister reflecting the trans...
Santes Creus Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located in Catalonia, Spain, founded in 1160. As one of the largest Cistercian complexes in the region, it showcases a transition between Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. The abbey is distinguished by its function as a royal necropolis,...
Netley Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery located on the southern coast of Hampshire, England, founded in 1239 by Peter des Roches, the Bishop of Winchester. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s, the site was converted into a grand Tudor mansion, which contributed to the pre...
Fossanova Abbey is a Cistercian monastery located in the Lazio region of Italy, with its church consecrated in 1208. It is considered one of the earliest and purest examples of Burgundian Early Gothic architecture in Italy, reflecting the strict architectural standards of the Cistercian order. The s...
The Basilica of Waldsassen is a Cistercian abbey church located in Bavaria, Germany. Originally founded in the 12th century, the current structure was rebuilt in the late 17th and early 18th centuries in a Baroque style. It is widely known for its magnificent abbey library, the Stiftsbibliothek, whi...
Rein Abbey is a Cistercian monastery located in the town of Rein in Styria, Austria. Founded in 1129, it is regarded as the oldest continuously active Cistercian community in the world. The abbey complex includes a Romanesque-Gothic church, cloister, and monastic buildings, with later Baroque modifi...
Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery situated in a public park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, founded in 1152. The site is distinguished by its highly complete sandstone masonry, which represents one of the most comprehensively preserved examples of a medieval Cistercian abbey in Bri...
