CISTERCIAN ABBEYS: Pontigny

Pontigny

the abbey church, from the north east

location:	Pontigny, Burgundy, France
founded:	1114
daughter of:	Citeaux
current status:	parish church and arts centre
visit:	all year round
pictures taken :	July 2011
The second of Citeaux's great daughter houses, Pontigny rapidly grew and established a further fourteen abbeys, both in France and further afield. The abbey also welcomed a number of influential guests, including three archbishops of Canterbury - Thomas Becket, Stephen Langton and Edmund of Abingdon, who is buried at Pontigny.

the abbey church, from the south west

lay brothers building, now an arts centre

basin from the monks' fountain, located originally in the cloister. The 31 openings
are placed so that a number of monks could wash at the same time.

north aisle, looking east

the abbey church, which now serves as the parish church

capitals in the ambulatory

eighteenth century cloister

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In 1098, aspiring to a return to the strict observance of the rule of St Benedict, Robert de Molesme founded a New Monastery at Citeaux. Within twenty years the Order of Cistercians had spread to four daughter abbeys, and continued to expand rapidly. By 1250, the order numbered 650 abbeys across Europe and the Near East. Though many have been destroyed by wars and revolutions, those that remain provide a fascinating collection of outstanding sites.

My first visit to a Cistercian abbey was several years ago, to Noirlac, in Cher in central France. I found the austere design of the Cistercian ideal so attractive that I have been visiting Cistercian abbeys ever since. Though they vary considerably in their state of repair, many are open to the public.

I am gradually adding photos and brief details of each of the abbeys I have visited, but anyone who wishes to add further photos or information by way of comment is most welcome to do so.

Kath Banks

July 2009