Cistercians

Cistercians, religious order founded at Cîteaux in 1098. The Cistercians were introduced to Ireland in 1142 by St Malachy as part of his policy of church reform. From their first monastery at Mellifont in Co. Louth they expanded rapidly, establishing a further 26 houses by the end of the 12th century. This expansion, however, rested on an insecure base as Cistercian life was radically different from preceding forms of Irish monasticism. Problems created by increasing isolation from the rest of the order, tension between Gaelic and Anglo‐Irish monasteries, and lax observance in Gaelic houses culminated in the ‘conspiracy of Mellifont’ (1216–28). The Mellifont filiation was broken up and its houses assigned to English, Welsh, and French houses. It was restored in 1274.

By 1228 there were 34 Cistercian monasteries of either Gaelic or Anglo‐Irish foundation and the order had reached the peak of its expansion. Financial difficulties caused by speculation on wool prices and the gradual disappearance of the lay brother initiated a period of decline at the end of the 13th century. By the late 15th century, despite attempts at reform, conventual life had collapsed in many of the houses, with only Dublin and Mellifont having sizeable communities. A number of the monasteries were changed into secular colleges at the Reformation but most were dissolved between 1538 and 1542. A short‐lived attempt at restoration was made by Abbot Luke Archer of Holycross in the early 17th century. The order was re‐established in Ireland in 1832 with the foundation of Mount Melleray, Co. Waterford.

Colmán N. Ó Clabaigh