Cistercians are monks and nuns who belong to two Roman Catholic religious orders throughout the world. Their daily routine follows a rule (set of guidelines) established by Saint Benedict of Nursia. This rule emphasizes prayer, study, and manual labor.
There are two orders of Cistercians–the Common Observance and the Strict Observance. Monks of the Common Observance sometimes teach and provide spiritual guidance in their communities. Nuns lead secluded, prayerful lives. The order of the Common Observance was formerly called the Sacred Order of Cistercians. Both monks and nuns in the Strict Observance lead secluded lives. The monks are popularly called Trappists and nuns, Trappistines. See Trappists .
Cistercian orders trace their history to a French monastery founded in 1098 at Citeaux (Cistercium) by the abbot Saint Robert of Molesme. Orders of Cistercian nuns were founded about 1120.
