Abbaye Blanche

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Abbaye Blanche, or the White Abbey, was founded in 1112 in Mortain, France. It is part of the Cîteaux Abbey.

Shortly after establishing an abbey for men called Holy Trinity of Savigny, Saint Vitalis of the monastic order of Savigny founded Abbaye Blanche for women. The church's architecture includes a Latin cross, nave, and wide transept. The style is Early Gothic, though unfortunately only the chapter house, cellar and Romanesque cloister remain in their original 12th-century form.

Although few of the customs from the time of Vitalis survive today, the women of Abbaye Blanche wore undyed rule and followed a very strict interpretation of the Order of Saint Benedict. The communities of Holy Trinity and Abbaye Blanche joined the Cistercian order in 1147, having some 30 houses in the complex at Savigny at the time.

[edit] References

• Mortain: Abbaye blanche
• J. J. van Moolenbroek's article on JSTOR (login required)