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{{Short description|Former Cistercian friary in Aube, France}}
'''Clairvaux Abbey''' (''Clara Vallis'' in Latin), a [[Cistercian]] [[monastery]],was founded in [[1115]] by [[Bernard_of_Clairvaux|St. Bernard]]. It is located in [[Ville-sous-la-Ferté]], 15 km away from [[Bar-sur-Aube]], in the [[Aube]] ''[[département in France|département]]'' in northeastern [[France]]. Although the original building is now in ruins--and a high-security [[prison]] now occupies the grounds (see [[Clairvaux Prison]])--Clairvaux Abbey was a good example of the general layout of a [[Cistercian]] [[monastery]].


{{Not to be confused with|Clervaux Abbey}}
[[Cistercian]] [[monastery|monasteries]] were all arranged according to a set plan unless the circumstances of the locality forbade it. A strong wall, furnished at intervals with watchtowers and other defenses, surrounded the abbey precincts. Beyond the wall, a moat, artificially diverted from tributaries which flow through the precincts, completely or partially encircled the wall. This water furnished the monastery with an abundant supply of water for [[irrigation]], sanitation and for the use of the offices and workshops.
{{Infobox monastery
| name = Clairvaux Abbey
| image = PM 149156 F Clairvaux.jpg
| caption = Main façade of the abbey
| order = [[Cistercian]]
| founder = [[Bernard of Clairvaux]]
| established = 1115
| mother = [[Cîteaux Abbey]]
| disestablished =
| diocese =
| churches =
| people =
| location = [[Ville-sous-la-Ferté]], [[France]]
| coordinates = {{coord|48|08|50|N|4|47|20|E|region:FR-G_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| map_type = France
| remains = substantial
| public_access = yes
}}
'''Clairvaux Abbey''' ({{IPAc-en|k|l|ɛər|ˈ|v|oʊ}}, {{IPA|fr|klɛʁvo|lang}}; {{langx|la|Clara Vallis}}) was a [[Cistercian]] [[monastery]] in [[Ville-sous-la-Ferté]], {{convert|15|km|mi}} from [[Bar-sur-Aube]]. The abbey was founded in 1115 by [[Bernard of Clairvaux]]. As a [[primary abbey]], it was one of the most significant monasteries in the order. Dissolved during the [[French Revolution]], it was used from 1808 to 2023 as [[Clairvaux Prison]], a high-security correctional facility. As of 2024, work is in process to make the space available and attractive to tourists.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-12-20 |title=Reconversion de l'abbaye-prison de Clairvaux : la candidature d'EDEIS-ADIM retenue |url=https://www.culture.gouv.fr/regions/drac-grand-est/actu/an/2023/clairvaux-jury |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=www.culture.gouv.fr |language=fr-FR}}</ref>


Its layout was significantly altered by construction in the 18th and 19th centuries. Before it was a prison, Clairvaux Abbey served as an archetype for Cistercian monasteries; significant portions of the ancient abbey remain standing.
An additional wall, running from north to south, bisected the monastery into an "inner" and "outer" ward. The inner ward housed the monastic buildings while the agricultural and other menial endeavors were carried out in the outer ward.


==History==
The precincts were entered by a gateway (P), at the extreme western extremity, giving admission to the lower ward. Here the barns, granaries, stables, shambles, workshops and workmens lodgings were located without any regard to symmetry, convenience being the only consideration. A single gatehouse (D) afforded communication through the wall separating the outer from the inner ward. On passing through the gateway, the outer court of the inner ward was entered, with the western facade of the monastic church in front. Immediately on the right of entrance was the abbot's house (G), in close proximity to the guest-house (F). On the other side of the court were the stables, for the accommodation of the horses of the guests and their attendants (H). The church occupied a central position. To the south was the great cloister (A), surrounded by the chief monastic buildings. Further to the east, the smaller cloister contained the infirmary, novices' lodgings and quarters for the aged monks. Beyond the smaller cloister and separated from the monastic buildings by a wall, lay the vegetable gardens and orchards. Large fish ponds were also located in the area east of the monastic buildings. They were an important part of monastic life and much care was given to their construction and maintenance by the monks. The fish ponds often remain as one of the few visible traces of these vast monasteries.


=== Founding to dissolution ===
Plan No. 2 illustrates the [[ichnography]] of the distinct and usually unvaried arrangement of the Cistercian houses. The church (A) is the chief feature. It consists of a vast nave of eleven bays, entered by a [[narthex]], with a transept and short apsidal choir. (The eastern limb in all unaltered Cistercian churches is remarkably short, and usually square.) To the east of each limb of the transept are two square chapels, divided according to Cistercian rule by solid walls. Nine radiating chapels, similarly divided, surround the apse. The stalls of the monks, forming the ritual choir, occupy the four eastern bays of the nave. There was a second range of stalls in the extreme western bays of the nave for the ''fratres conversi'', or [[lay brother]]s. The cloister (B) was located to the south of the church so that its inhabitants could benefit from ample sunshine.
[[File:Abbaye de Clairvaux gravure XVIIIe.jpg|left|thumb|An early 18th-century view of the abbey, prior to the reconstruction that began in 1708]]
Around the cloister, the buildings connected with the monks' daily life were arranged. The [[chapter house]](C) always opened out of the east walk of the cloister in parallel with the south transept.
According to legend, on June 25, 1115, the Cistercian monk [[Bernard of Clairvaux|Bernard]] was sent from [[Cîteaux Abbey]] with a group of twelve other monks to found a new monastery at Vallée d'Absinthe. [[Hugh, Count of Champagne|Hughes I, Count of Troyes]] and a relative of Bernard, donated this valley to the Cistercians.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jonas |first=Margaret |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xrxk2XwgIPgC&dq=Hughes+of+Troyes+clairvaux&pg=PA30 |title=The Templar Spirit: The Esoteric Inspiration, Rituals and Beliefs of the Knights Templar |date=2011 |publisher=Temple Lodge Publishing |isbn=978-1-906999-25-4 |pages=30 |language=en}}</ref> Bernard was installed as first abbot by [[William of Champeaux]], [[Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=McGuire |first=Brian Patrick |title=Bernard of Clairvaux: an inner life |date=2020 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-1-5017-5154-7 |location=Ithaca [New York]}}</ref>


The abbey developed rapidly, eventually reaching its peak in numbers at 700 members belonging to Clairvaux alone, thus the largest Cistercian abbey in France.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Dimier |first=Anselm |title=New Catholic Encyclopedia |date=2003 |publisher=Thompson/Gale; Catholic University of America |isbn=978-0-7876-4004-0 |editor-last=Catholic University of America |edition=2nd |location=Detroit, New York, San Diego, Washington, D.C. |pages=758 |chapter=Clairvaux, Abbey of}}</ref> Many daughter monasteries followed. In 1118 [[Trois-Fontaines Abbey]] was founded from Clairvaux on land donated by Hugh de Vitry. Many nobles were buried there.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Colker |first=M. L. |date=2002 |title=The Liber Altarium and Liber Sepulchrorum of Clairvaux (in a Newly Discovered Manuscript) |url=https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/10.1484/J.SE.2.300497 |journal=Sacris Erudiri |language= |volume=41 |pages=391–465 |doi=10.1484/J.SE.2.300497 |issn=0771-7776}}</ref> Later, Clairvaux founded [[Foigny Abbey]] (1121), and [[Cherlieu Abbey]] was founded in 1131. During Bernard's lifetime over sixty monasteries were founded from Clairvaux all over Europe and reaching into Scandinavia.<ref name=":3" /> Many ("over a third of them") were pre-existing communities of monks, canons, or hermits who had decided to join the Cistercian movement.<ref>Holdsworth, Christopher. “Bernard of Clairvaux: His First and Greatest Miracle Was Himself.” ''The Cambridge Companion to the Cistercian Order''. Ed. Mette Birkedal Bruun. Cambridge University Press, 2012, p. 175.</ref>
<table width="100%">
<caption>'''Clairvaux, figure 2, Monastic'''</caption>
<tr>
<td align="center">[[Image:Plan.abbaye.Clairvaux.2.png|left|thumb]]</td>
<td valign="top">
<pre>
A. Church.
B. Cloister.
C. Chapter-house.
D. Monks' parlour.
E. Calefactory.
F. Kitchen and court.
G. Refectory.
H. Cemetery.
I. Little cloister.
K. Infirmary.
L. Lodgings of novices.
M. Old guest-house.
N. Old abbot's lodgings.
O. Cloister of supernumerary monks.
P. Abbot's hall.
Q. Cell of St Bernard.
R. Stables.
S. Cellars and storehouses.
T. Water-course.
U. Saw-mill and oil mill.
V. Currier's shop.
X. Sacristy.
Y. Little library.
Z. Undercroft of dormitory.
</pre>
</td>
</tr>
</table>


Construction of the abbey in its roughly current form (named ''Clairvaux II'' by historians) began in 1135, and the abbey church was dedicated in 1174. However, the only building surviving from this time is a large 12th-century lay brother's building, eventually converted into a barn.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clairvaux {{!}} Cistercian Abbey, Monastery, Monks {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Clairvaux |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> By the end of the 12th century, it had founded more than 250 daughter monasteries. As the mother of so many, Clairvaux occuped a central place in the Cistercian world.<ref name=":1">Bucher, François. “Cistercian Architectural Purism.” ''Comparative Studies in Society and History'', vol. 3, no. 1, 1960, pp. 89–105. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/177899</nowiki>. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.</ref>
In Cistercian houses this was quadrangular, and was divided by pillars and arches into two or three aisles. Between it and the transept we find the sacristy (X) and a small book-room (Y) armariolum, where the brothers deposited the volumes borrowed from the library. On the south side of the chapter-house is a passage (D) communicating with the courts and buildings beyond. This was sometimes known as the parlour, colloquii locus, the monks having the privilege of conversation there. When the originally austere discipline became relaxed, traders were allowed to display their goods in the colloquii locus. Beyond this is the calefactorium or day-room--an apartment warmed by flues beneath the pavement, where the brethren, half frozen during the night offices, betook themselves after the conclusion of lauds, to gain a little warmth, grease their sandals and get themselves ready for the work of the day. In the plan before us this apartment (E) opens from the south cloister walk, adjoining the refectory. The place usually assigned to it is occupied by the vaulted substructure of the dormitory (Z). The dormitory, as a rule, was placed on the east side of the cloister, running over the calethetory and chapter-house, and joined the south transept, where a flight of steps admitted the brethren into the church for nocturnal services. Opening out of the dormitory was always the necessarium, planned with the greatest regard to health and cleanliness, a water-course invariably running from end to end. The refectory opens out of the south cloister at G. The position of the refectory is usually a marked point of difference between Benedictine and Cistercian abbeys. In the former, as at Canterbury, the refectory ran east and west parallel to the nave of the church, on the side of the cloister farthest removed from it. In the Cistercian monasturies, to keep the noise and smell of dinner still farther away from the sacred building, the refectory was built north and south, at right angles to the axis of the church. It was often divided, sometimes into two, sometimes, as here, into three aisles. Outside the refectory door, in the
cloister, was the lavatory, where the monks washed their hands at dinner-time. The buildings belonging to the material life of the monks lay near the refectory, as far as possible from the church, to the S.W. With a distinct entrance from the outer court was the kitchen court (F), with its buttery, scullery and larder, and the important adjunct of a stream of running water. Farther to the west, projecting beyond the line of the west front of the church, were vast vaulted apartments (SS), serving as cellars and storehouses, above which was the dormitory of the conversi. Detached from these, and separated entirely from the monastic buildings, were various workshops, which convenience repuired to be banished to the outer precincts, a saw-mill and oil-mill (UU) turned by water, and a currier's shop (V), where the sandals and leathern girdles of the monks were made and repaired.


Clairvaux continued to attract promising monks; one of them became a pope ([[Pope Eugene III|Eugene III]]), twelve became cardinals, and over thirty were elevated to the episcopacy.<ref name=":4" /> The manuscripts copied and written at Clairvaux were of great importance.<ref>{{Citation |last=Doyle |first=Kathleen |title=Early Cistercian Manuscripts from Clairvaux |date=2020-03-18 |work=Illuminating the Middle Ages |pages=109–124 |editor-last=Cleaver |editor-first=Laura |url=https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789004422339/BP000009.xml |access-date=2024-11-06 |publisher=BRILL |doi=10.1163/9789004422339_010 |isbn=978-90-04-42233-9 |editor2-last=Bovey |editor2-first=Alixe |editor3-last=Donkin |editor3-first=Lucy}}</ref> Research about the monks' literary and theological studies have led to a research project that seeks to reconstruct the abbey's medieval library.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bibliothèque virtuelle de Clairvaux |url=https://www.bibliotheque-virtuelle-clairvaux.com/ |access-date=6 November 2024}}</ref> In the 13th century, Clairvaux Abbot [[Stephen of Lexington|Stephen Lexington]] founded the [[Collège des Bernardins|Cistercian college]] at the University of Paris and it remained under the abbey's responsibility for generations.<ref name=":4" />
Returning to the cloister, a vaulted passage admitted to the small cloister (l), opening from the north side of which were eight small cells, assigned to the scribes employed in copying works for the library, which was placed in the upper story, accessible by a turret staircase. To the south of the small cloister a long hall will be noticed. This was a lecture-hall, or rather a hall for the religious disputations customary among the Cistercians. From this cloister opened the infirmary (K), with its hall, chapel, cells, blood-letting house and other dependencies. At the eastern verge of the vast group of buildings we find the novices' lodgings (L), with a third cloister near the novices' quarters and the original guest-house (M). Detached from the great mass of the monastic edifices was the original abbot's house (N), with its dining-hall (P).
Closely adjoining to this, so that the eye of the father of the whole establishment should be constantly over those who stood the most in need of his watchful care,--those who were training for the monastic life, and those who had worn themselves out in its duties,--was a fourth cloister (O), with annexed buildings, devoted to the aged and infirm members of the establishment. The cemetery, the last resting-place of the brethren, lay to the north side of the nave of the church (H).


In the early modern period, Clairvaux was the origen of the movement toward [[Trappists|stricter observance]], particularly under Abbot Denis Largentier.<ref name=":4" /> Starting in 1708, comprehensive reconstruction of the abbey's buildings in the classical style began, dubbed ''Clairvaux III'' by historians.<ref name="Clairvaux">{{cite episode |title=Clairvaux : de l'abbaye à la prison |series=La Marche de l'Histoire |last=Leroux-Dhuys |first=Jean-François |network=[[France Inter]] |date=12 June 2012 |language=fr}}</ref> The works were wide-ranging, and records indicate that construction was not complete upon the arrival of the revolution.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2024-07-19 |title=Restauration des toitures et structures du Grand Cloître de l'abbaye de Clairvaux |url=https://www.culture.gouv.fr/en/regions/drac-grand-est/news/MH-State/clairvaux/large-cloister-1 |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=www.culture.gouv.fr |language=fr-FR}}</ref>
It will be seen from the above account that the arrangement of a Cistercian monastery was in accordance with a clearly defined system, and admirably adapted to its purpose. The base court nearest to the outer wall contained the buildings belonging to the functions of the body as agriculturists and employers of labour. Advancing into the inner court, the buildings`devoted to hospitality are found close to the entrance; while those connected with the supply of the material wants of the brethren, --the kitchen, cellars, &c.,--form a court of themselves outside the cloister and quite detached from the church. The church refectory, dormitory and other buildings belonging to the professional life of the brethren surround the great cloister. The small cloister beyond, with its scribes' cells, library, hall for disputations, &c., is the centre of the literary life of the community. The requirements of sickness and old age are carefully provided for in the infirmary cloister and that for the aged and infirm members of the establishment. The same group contains the quarters of the novices.


=== Revolution to present day ===
This stereotyped arrangement is further shown by the illustration of the mother establishment of [[Citeaux abbey|Citeaux]].
[[File:Revue régionale illustrée mars 1901 100478 (clairvaux).jpg|left|thumb|The prison as it appeared in 1901]]
At the time of the [[French Revolution]] in 1789, Clairvaux had only 26 professed religious, counting the abbot, Louis-Marie Rocourt, ten lay brothers, and ten affiliated pensioners of the house; 19 of the religious and all the lay brothers were secularized.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lekai |first=Louis |date=1968 |title=French Cistercians and the Revolution (1789–1791) |journal=Analecta Cisterciensia |volume=24 |pages=86–118}}</ref>


[[Biens nationaux|Having become state property]] according to the decree of November 2, 1789, the abbey was purchased in 1792 and converted into a glassworks, which was repossessed by the state upon its bankruptcy in 1808 and turned into a prison. This fate was not uncommon for former monasteries following the penal reforms of Napoleon, it also befell others like [[Fontevraud Abbey|Fontevraud]] and [[Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey|Mont-Saint-Michel]]. Because the abbey church was sold off as a quarry in 1812, a small new chapel was built inside the former [[refectory]] in 1828. During the 19th century, the abbey held 2,700 prisoners, including 500 women and 550 children. Deplorable conditions at the abbey inspired Victor Hugo to write his short story "[[Claude Gueux]]", based on a real prisoner at Clairvaux, in 1834.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Allan H. Pasco |date=2016 |title=Reforming Society and Genre in Hugo's 'Claude Gueux' |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5699/modelangrevi.111.1.0085 |journal=The Modern Language Review |volume=111 |issue=1 |pages=85–103 |doi=10.5699/modelangrevi.111.1.0085|jstor=10.5699/modelangrevi.111.1.0085 }}</ref> Following a reform in 1875 that required individual cells for prisoners, "chicken cages", cells measuring 1.5 x 2-meter (5 x 6.5&nbsp;ft), were installed, they remained in use until 1971.<ref name=":2" /> The abbey was in 1926 as a [[Monument historique|historical monument]] by the [[French Ministry of Culture]], but only one of the buildings, the one for the [[lay brother]]s, is medieval in origin yet erected after Bernard had died.<ref name=":4" />
==See also==
* [[List of abbeys and priories]]


Starting in the 2000s, the prison was gradually dismantled. Comprehensive restorations began in 2013, and the prison was finally shut down in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-07-10 |title=Abbaye de Clairvaux : inauguration des restaurations |url=https://www.culture.gouv.fr/regions/drac-grand-est/actu/MH-Etat/clairvaux/Abbaye-de-Clairvaux-inauguration-des-restaurations-du-refectoire-chapelle-de-la-Prison-des-enfants-et-des-amenagements-exterieurs |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=www.culture.gouv.fr |language=fr-FR}}</ref> Renovation has been underway since.
==External links==
* http://www.claravallis.org/ (in French and English) Official Site of the Claravallis Association for a Clairvaux Foundation
* http://abbaye-clairvaux.barsuraube.net/ (in French)
* http://vieuxtroyes.free.fr/t/abclairvx.htm (in French)


{{Commons category|Abbaye de Clairvaux}}
{{coor title dms|48|08|50|N|4|47|20|E|region:FR-G_type:landmark}}

==List of abbots==
{{columns-list|colwidth=19em|
*1115–1153 — [[Bernard of Clairvaux]]
*1153–1157 — {{ill|Robert de Bruges|lt=Robert I of Bruges|fr}}
*1157-vers 1161 — {{ill|Fastradus|fr|Fastré de Cambron}}
*1162–1165 — [[Geoffrey of Clairvaux|Geoffrey of Auxerre]]
*1165–1170 — {{ill|Pons of Polignac|fr|Ponce (abbé de Clairvaux)}}
*1170–1175 — [[Gerard of Clairvaux (died 1177)|Gerard I]]
*1176–1179 — [[Henry of Marcy]]
*1179–1186 — [[Peter Monoculus|Peter I Monoculus]]
*1186–1193 — [[Garnier de Rochefort]]
*1193–1196 — Guy of France
*{{circa|1214}}–1216 — [[Conrad of Urach|Conrad I of Urach]]
*1217–1221 — William I
*1221–1223 — Robert II
*1223–1224 — Lawrence
*1224–1232 — Raoul de la Roche-Aymon
*1233–1235 — Dreux de Grandmont
*1235–1238 — Evrard
*1238–1239 — {{ill|William of Dongelberg|fr|Guillaume II (abbé de Clairvaux)}}
*1242–1255 — [[Stephen of Lexington|Stephen I of Lexington]]
*1257–1260 or 1261 — John I
*1262–1273 — {{ill|Philip I (abbot of Clairvaux|lt=Philip I|fr|Philippe Ier (abbé de Clairvaux)}}
*1273–1280 — Beuve
*1280–1284 — Thibaud de Sancey
*1284–1285 — Gerard II
*1286–1291 — Jean II de La Prée
*1291–1312 — Jean III de Sancey
*1312 — William III
*1313–1316 — Conrad II of Metz
*1316–1330 — Mathieu I d'Aumelle
*1330–1345 — Jean IV d'Aizanville
*1345–1358 — Bernard II de Laon
*1358–1359 — {{ill|Jean de Bussière|lt=Jean V de Bussières|it|Jean de Bussière}}
*1363–1380 — Jean VI de Deulemont
*1380–1402 — Étienne II de Foissy
*1402–1405 — Jean VII de Martigny
*1405–1428 — Mathieu II Pillaert
*1428–1448 — Guillaume IV d'Autun
*1449–1471 — Philippe II de Fontaines
*1471–1496 — Pierre II de Virey
*1496–1509 — Jean VIII de Foucault
*1509–1552 — {{ill|Edmond de Saulieu|fr}}
*1552–1571 — [[Jérôme Souchier]]
*1571–1596 — Lupin Lemire
*1596–1626 — {{ill|Denis Largentier|fr}}
*1626–1653 — Claude Largentier
*1654–1676 — Pierre III Henry
*1676–1718 — Pierre IV Bouchu
*1718–1740 — Robert III Gassot du Deffend
*1740–1761 — Pierre V Mayeur
*1761–1784 — François Le Blois
*1784–1792 — Louis-Marie Rocourt
}}

==Burials==
* [[Henry of France, Archbishop of Reims]] (1175)<ref name="Gildas">{{Cite web |title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Abbey of Clairvaux |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03798c.htm |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref>
* [[Philip I, Count of Flanders]]<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Burton |first1=Janet E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=adHIaVe-zBgC&dq=Philip+Count+Flanders+clairvaux&pg=PA242 |title=The Cistercians in the Middle Ages |last2=Kerr |first2=Julie |date=2011 |publisher=Boydell Press |isbn=978-1-84383-667-4 |pages=184 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Saint Malachy]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Craughwell |first=Thomas J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jQblhT1XtkMC&dq=malachy+saint+clairvaux&pg=PA186 |title=Saints Preserved |date=2011-07-12 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-307-59074-9 |pages=186 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Bernard of Clairvaux]]
* [[Theresa of Portugal, Countess of Flanders]]
* [[Giacomo da Pecorara]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=PECORARA, Giacomo - Enciclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/giacomo-pecorara_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Treccani |language=it}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Catholicism|France}}
* [[Chiaravalle Abbey]], a monastery in Milan, Italy
* [[Claraval]] in Brazil: the same name in Portuguese; also the seat of a former [[territorial abbey]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Catholic|wstitle=Abbey of Clairvaux}}

==External links==
* [https://www.abbayedeclairvaux.com/ Official website]
* [https://www-bibliotheque--virtuelle--clairvaux-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc Virtual Library of Clairvaux]


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Cistercian monasteries]]
[[Category:Monasteries in France]]
[[Category:Aube]]
[[Category:1115 establishments]]


[[Category:Cistercian monasteries in France]]
[[da:Clairvaux]]
[[Category:1115 establishments in Europe]]
[[de:Kloster Clairvaux]]
[[Category:1110s establishments in France]]
[[fr:Abbaye de Clairvaux]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Aube]]
[[it:Abbazia di Clairvaux]]
[[Category:Christian monasteries established in the 1110s]]
[[nl:Abdij van Clairvaux]]
[[Category:Ruins in Grand Est]]
[[pl:Opactwo Clairvaux]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Aube]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the Herbertien dynasty]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the House of Metz]]
[[Category:Ville-sous-la-Ferté]]

Latest revision as of 19:21, 28 November 2024

Not to be confused with Clervaux Abbey.
Clairvaux Abbey
Main façade of the abbey
Clairvaux Abbey is located in France
Clairvaux Abbey
Location within France
Monastery information
OrderCistercian
Established1115
Mother houseCîteaux Abbey
People
Founder(s)Bernard of Clairvaux
Site
LocationVille-sous-la-Ferté, France
Coordinates48°08′50″N 4°47′20″E / 48.14722°N 4.78889°E / 48.14722; 4.78889
Visible remainssubstantial
Public accessyes

Clairvaux Abbey (/klɛərˈvoʊ/, French: [klɛʁvo]; Latin: Clara Vallis) was a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Bar-sur-Aube. The abbey was founded in 1115 by Bernard of Clairvaux. As a primary abbey, it was one of the most significant monasteries in the order. Dissolved during the French Revolution, it was used from 1808 to 2023 as Clairvaux Prison, a high-security correctional facility. As of 2024, work is in process to make the space available and attractive to tourists.[1]

Its layout was significantly altered by construction in the 18th and 19th centuries. Before it was a prison, Clairvaux Abbey served as an archetype for Cistercian monasteries; significant portions of the ancient abbey remain standing.

History

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Founding to dissolution

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An early 18th-century view of the abbey, prior to the reconstruction that began in 1708

According to legend, on June 25, 1115, the Cistercian monk Bernard was sent from Cîteaux Abbey with a group of twelve other monks to found a new monastery at Vallée d'Absinthe. Hughes I, Count of Troyes and a relative of Bernard, donated this valley to the Cistercians.[2] Bernard was installed as first abbot by William of Champeaux, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne.[3]

The abbey developed rapidly, eventually reaching its peak in numbers at 700 members belonging to Clairvaux alone, thus the largest Cistercian abbey in France.[4] Many daughter monasteries followed. In 1118 Trois-Fontaines Abbey was founded from Clairvaux on land donated by Hugh de Vitry. Many nobles were buried there.[5] Later, Clairvaux founded Foigny Abbey (1121), and Cherlieu Abbey was founded in 1131. During Bernard's lifetime over sixty monasteries were founded from Clairvaux all over Europe and reaching into Scandinavia.[3] Many ("over a third of them") were pre-existing communities of monks, canons, or hermits who had decided to join the Cistercian movement.[6]

Construction of the abbey in its roughly current form (named Clairvaux II by historians) began in 1135, and the abbey church was dedicated in 1174. However, the only building surviving from this time is a large 12th-century lay brother's building, eventually converted into a barn.[7] By the end of the 12th century, it had founded more than 250 daughter monasteries. As the mother of so many, Clairvaux occuped a central place in the Cistercian world.[8]

Clairvaux continued to attract promising monks; one of them became a pope (Eugene III), twelve became cardinals, and over thirty were elevated to the episcopacy.[4] The manuscripts copied and written at Clairvaux were of great importance.[9] Research about the monks' literary and theological studies have led to a research project that seeks to reconstruct the abbey's medieval library.[10] In the 13th century, Clairvaux Abbot Stephen Lexington founded the Cistercian college at the University of Paris and it remained under the abbey's responsibility for generations.[4]

In the early modern period, Clairvaux was the origen of the movement toward stricter observance, particularly under Abbot Denis Largentier.[4] Starting in 1708, comprehensive reconstruction of the abbey's buildings in the classical style began, dubbed Clairvaux III by historians.[11] The works were wide-ranging, and records indicate that construction was not complete upon the arrival of the revolution.[12]

Revolution to present day

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The prison as it appeared in 1901

At the time of the French Revolution in 1789, Clairvaux had only 26 professed religious, counting the abbot, Louis-Marie Rocourt, ten lay brothers, and ten affiliated pensioners of the house; 19 of the religious and all the lay brothers were secularized.[13]

Having become state property according to the decree of November 2, 1789, the abbey was purchased in 1792 and converted into a glassworks, which was repossessed by the state upon its bankruptcy in 1808 and turned into a prison. This fate was not uncommon for former monasteries following the penal reforms of Napoleon, it also befell others like Fontevraud and Mont-Saint-Michel. Because the abbey church was sold off as a quarry in 1812, a small new chapel was built inside the former refectory in 1828. During the 19th century, the abbey held 2,700 prisoners, including 500 women and 550 children. Deplorable conditions at the abbey inspired Victor Hugo to write his short story "Claude Gueux", based on a real prisoner at Clairvaux, in 1834.[14] Following a reform in 1875 that required individual cells for prisoners, "chicken cages", cells measuring 1.5 x 2-meter (5 x 6.5 ft), were installed, they remained in use until 1971.[12] The abbey was in 1926 as a historical monument by the French Ministry of Culture, but only one of the buildings, the one for the lay brothers, is medieval in origin yet erected after Bernard had died.[4]

Starting in the 2000s, the prison was gradually dismantled. Comprehensive restorations began in 2013, and the prison was finally shut down in 2023.[15] Renovation has been underway since.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abbaye de Clairvaux.

List of abbots

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  • 1115–1153 — Bernard of Clairvaux
  • 1153–1157 — Robert I of Bruges [fr]
  • 1157-vers 1161 — Fastradus [fr]
  • 1162–1165 — Geoffrey of Auxerre
  • 1165–1170 — Pons of Polignac [fr]
  • 1170–1175 — Gerard I
  • 1176–1179 — Henry of Marcy
  • 1179–1186 — Peter I Monoculus
  • 1186–1193 — Garnier de Rochefort
  • 1193–1196 — Guy of France
  • c. 1214–1216 — Conrad I of Urach
  • 1217–1221 — William I
  • 1221–1223 — Robert II
  • 1223–1224 — Lawrence
  • 1224–1232 — Raoul de la Roche-Aymon
  • 1233–1235 — Dreux de Grandmont
  • 1235–1238 — Evrard
  • 1238–1239 — William of Dongelberg [fr]
  • 1242–1255 — Stephen I of Lexington
  • 1257–1260 or 1261 — John I
  • 1262–1273 — Philip I [fr]
  • 1273–1280 — Beuve
  • 1280–1284 — Thibaud de Sancey
  • 1284–1285 — Gerard II
  • 1286–1291 — Jean II de La Prée
  • 1291–1312 — Jean III de Sancey
  • 1312 — William III
  • 1313–1316 — Conrad II of Metz
  • 1316–1330 — Mathieu I d'Aumelle
  • 1330–1345 — Jean IV d'Aizanville
  • 1345–1358 — Bernard II de Laon
  • 1358–1359 — Jean V de Bussières [it]
  • 1363–1380 — Jean VI de Deulemont
  • 1380–1402 — Étienne II de Foissy
  • 1402–1405 — Jean VII de Martigny
  • 1405–1428 — Mathieu II Pillaert
  • 1428–1448 — Guillaume IV d'Autun
  • 1449–1471 — Philippe II de Fontaines
  • 1471–1496 — Pierre II de Virey
  • 1496–1509 — Jean VIII de Foucault
  • 1509–1552 — Edmond de Saulieu [fr]
  • 1552–1571 — Jérôme Souchier
  • 1571–1596 — Lupin Lemire
  • 1596–1626 — Denis Largentier [fr]
  • 1626–1653 — Claude Largentier
  • 1654–1676 — Pierre III Henry
  • 1676–1718 — Pierre IV Bouchu
  • 1718–1740 — Robert III Gassot du Deffend
  • 1740–1761 — Pierre V Mayeur
  • 1761–1784 — François Le Blois
  • 1784–1792 — Louis-Marie Rocourt

Burials

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Reconversion de l'abbaye-prison de Clairvaux : la candidature d'EDEIS-ADIM retenue". www.culture.gouv.fr (in French). 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  2. ^ Jonas, Margaret (2011). The Templar Spirit: The Esoteric Inspiration, Rituals and Beliefs of the Knights Templar. Temple Lodge Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-906999-25-4.
  3. ^ a b McGuire, Brian Patrick (2020). Bernard of Clairvaux: an inner life. Ithaca [New York]: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-1-5017-5154-7.
  4. ^ a b c d e Dimier, Anselm (2003). "Clairvaux, Abbey of". In Catholic University of America (ed.). New Catholic Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Detroit, New York, San Diego, Washington, D.C.: Thompson/Gale; Catholic University of America. p. 758. ISBN 978-0-7876-4004-0.
  5. ^ Colker, M. L. (2002). "The Liber Altarium and Liber Sepulchrorum of Clairvaux (in a Newly Discovered Manuscript)". Sacris Erudiri. 41: 391–465. doi:10.1484/J.SE.2.300497. ISSN 0771-7776.
  6. ^ Holdsworth, Christopher. “Bernard of Clairvaux: His First and Greatest Miracle Was Himself.” The Cambridge Companion to the Cistercian Order. Ed. Mette Birkedal Bruun. Cambridge University Press, 2012, p. 175.
  7. ^ "Clairvaux | Cistercian Abbey, Monastery, Monks | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  8. ^ Bucher, François. “Cistercian Architectural Purism.” Comparative Studies in Society and History, vol. 3, no. 1, 1960, pp. 89–105. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/177899. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.
  9. ^ Doyle, Kathleen (2020-03-18), Cleaver, Laura; Bovey, Alixe; Donkin, Lucy (eds.), "Early Cistercian Manuscripts from Clairvaux", Illuminating the Middle Ages, BRILL, pp. 109–124, doi:10.1163/9789004422339_010, ISBN 978-90-04-42233-9, retrieved 2024-11-06
  10. ^ "Bibliothèque virtuelle de Clairvaux". Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  11. ^ Leroux-Dhuys, Jean-François (12 June 2012). "Clairvaux : de l'abbaye à la prison". La Marche de l'Histoire (in French). France Inter.
  12. ^ a b "Restauration des toitures et structures du Grand Cloître de l'abbaye de Clairvaux". www.culture.gouv.fr (in French). 2024-07-19. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  13. ^ Lekai, Louis (1968). "French Cistercians and the Revolution (1789–1791)". Analecta Cisterciensia. 24: 86–118.
  14. ^ Allan H. Pasco (2016). "Reforming Society and Genre in Hugo's 'Claude Gueux'". The Modern Language Review. 111 (1): 85–103. doi:10.5699/modelangrevi.111.1.0085. JSTOR 10.5699/modelangrevi.111.1.0085.
  15. ^ "Abbaye de Clairvaux : inauguration des restaurations". www.culture.gouv.fr (in French). 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  16. ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Abbey of Clairvaux". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  17. ^ Burton, Janet E.; Kerr, Julie (2011). The Cistercians in the Middle Ages. Boydell Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-84383-667-4.
  18. ^ Craughwell, Thomas J. (2011-07-12). Saints Preserved. Random House Publishing Group. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-307-59074-9.
  19. ^ "PECORARA, Giacomo - Enciclopedia". Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-30.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Abbey of Clairvaux". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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