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In 1098, a small group of men led by Robert of Molesme left their Benedictine Monastery to go into the forest to found a new, purer and more austere utopian community, one modeled on a combination of prayer and manual labor. Their site, Citeaux, gave its name to a new Cistercian order, which created a new restrained form of Romanesque architecture and a non-figural decoration. Attracting visionaries like Bernard of Clairvaux and Ailred of Riveaulx, the Cistercian order created 500 new monasteries and convents during its first 100 years. At the same time, the order struggled with the place of figural art and the role of women in its form of monasticism. This course will consider the evolving Cistercian vision of utopian life, as well as the problems created by new forms of art and architecture, by the order's conflicted view of the role of women in monastic life and by the rapid growth and expansion of the order and the wealth that accompanied it.
COURSE FORMAT: Seminar
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ART Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.
Last Updated on MAR-30-2006
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459