The origin of the Rule of life followed nowadays by the monks and nuns of the Cistercian Order, and thus of Notre Dame des Neiges, goes back to 1098. It was then that a group of 21 monks from Molesmes withdrew to the uncultivated and unpromising site of Citeaux south of Dijon. These foun- ding fathers wanted to abide by the Rule of St. Benedict.

St. Benedict, the father of Western Monasticism, was born at Nurcia near Rome in 480. He drew up a monastic rule for his monastery of Monte Cassino which was eventually to become the norm for'the whole of Western monasticism.

By their decision to live by St. Benedict's Rule the first Cistercians revealed their desire to return to the pure roots of Monasticism and the perfect liberty of Christ's disciples. However, in order to live out the Rule in its purity and integrity they were not afraid to adapt it to the concrete conditions of the 12th Century.

Citeaux, under the direct authority of the Pope, soon saw recruits arrive in great numbers, attracted by the austere lifestyle of the founders among whom three saintly figures shone particularly: Robert, Alberic, and Stephen. Towards 1113 the "Charter of Charity" was drawn up. Charity was to be the hasis of the new Order and two important institutions were established: the General Chapter and the Regular Visitation of monasteries, thus balancing the authority of the Order with the autonomy of each house. It was approved by Pope Calixtus II in 1120.

In the Spring of 1113 Bernard of Fontaines entered Citeaux with several companions. As early as 1115 the abhot sent him to govern Clairvaux the third foundation of Citeaux. Henceforth, Bernard was to be the "flower of the Order"; his personality won everyone over. Christendom's Judge and the Prophet of the West he was to become one of the great figures of the 12th Century. With its attachment to the Rule and austerity and with its remarkable Ahbot of Clairvaux, the "New Monastery" of Citeaux was to give an astonishing impetus to monasticism in 12th Century Europe.

In 1159 there were 338 Cistercian abbeys, by the 13th Century there were 900. This rapid expansion brought disadvantages; it altered the functioning of the structures envisaged by the "Charter of Charity".

The following centuries were one of decadence for the Order. To the internal factor of decadence were added the wars of religion and the "commendation" which completed the pro- cess of disintegration. However, reform was to follow. The Abbot de Rance, commendatory abbot of La Trappe of Soligny and recently converted, carried out a pro- gram of spiritual reform in his abbey in 1662. He established a very strict observance of Cistercian regulations. He died in 1700 but his work, despi- te some imperfections, survived and inspired others.

In 1789 under the leadership of Dom Augustin de Lestrange (born in Colombier le Vieux, Ardeche) some monks sought refuge in Switzerland in the former Carthusian monastery of Valsainte. They lived in extreme hardship but vocations flourished. It was to this cluster of monks from La Trappe that Providence entrusted the survival of the Order during the Revolution at the cost of an heroic odyssey which led them as far as Russia and America. They retained the popular name "Trappist". Because of its division into three congregations an extraordinary General Chapter was convened in Rome under Pope Leo XIII in October 1892. Henceforth, the Order was to be united under one Abbot General.

Breviary of the XVth Century

The long awaited reunification, which was soon to be crowned by the restauration of the former Abbey of Citeaux in 1898, spread through the whole world the monastic ideal which St. Bernard had defined in 1138 in a letter to the monks of Aulps:

"The ordonnance of our life is self-abasement, humility, voluntary poverty, obedience, peace and the joy of the Holy Spirit." "The ordonnance of our life is to submit ourselves to one master, one abbot, one rule and one discipline."

"The ordonnance of our life is to apply ourselves to silence and fasting, to prayer and vigils, to work with our hands and above all to choose the most excellent path which is charity; it is to make progress everyday in all these things and to persevere in them till the last hour"

That program of St.' Bernard was reformulated for modern times by the abbots and abbesses in their Chapter Generals of 1969 and of 1971 in their "Declaration on Cistercian Life" which is apt at promoting the renewal and a healthy evolution of the Order.

"We Cistercian Monks feel a deep desire to interpret for our own times the traditions which our Fathers have handed down to us... That is why we feel moved to make the following Declaration on our own particular way of life:

Following the first Fathers of our Order we find in the Holy Rule of St. Benedict the practical interpretation of the Gospel for ourselves. A sense of the Divine Transcendence and of the Lordship of Christ not only pervades the whole of this Rule but also permeates our life, totally orientated towards an experience of the Living God.

God calls and we respond by truly seeking Him as we follow Christ in humility and obedience. With hearts cleansed by the Word of God, by vigils, by fasting and by an unceasing conversion of life, we aim to become ever more disposed to receive from the Holy Spirit the gift of pure and continual prayer.

This search for God is the soul of our monastic day, a day composed of the Opus Dei, lectio divina and manual work. Our Cistercian life is basically simple and austere. It is truly poor and penitential in the 'joy of the Holy Spirit.'

Through the warmth of their welcome and hospitality our communities share the fruit of their contemplation and their work with others.

We carry out this search for God under a Rule and an abbot in a community of love where all are responsible. It is through stability that we commit ourselves to this community. It lives in an atmosphere of silence and separation from the world, and fosters and expresses its openness to God in contemplation, treasuring as Mary did 'all these things, pondering them in her heart.'

The Church has entrusted a mission to us which we wish to fulfill by the response of our whole life: 'To give clear witness to that heavenly home for which every man longs, and to keep alive in the heart of the human family the desire for this home... as we bear witness to the majesty and love of God and to the brotherhood of all men in Christ.' (cf. Gaudium et Spes, n' 38; Ad Gentes, n' 40; Letter of Paul VI to the Order, December 8, 1968).

• The Monastery of Notre Dame des Neiges
• Map of the Abbey
• Street View of the Abbey
• Pictures of the Abbey
• Messages of the Abbey
• The daily life at Notre Dame des Neiges
• The Cistercian Order
• Robert Louis Stevenson in Notre Dame des Neiges
• Stevenson’s Ghost Travels without a Donkey in the Cévennes
• Roundtrip of Three Lords Summit
• Roundtrip of Masmejean Valley
• Roundtrip of Ardechoise Mountain
• Roundtrip of Le Cevenol
• Hiking in Ardeche and Gard on Le Cevenol
• GR7 From St Etienne (Loire) to Lodeve (Herault)
• GR70 Stevenson trail From Le Puy en Velay (Haute Loire) to Ales (Gard)
• GR72 From Le Col du Bez (Ardeche) to Barre des Cevennes (Lozere)
• GR700 Regordane Way From Le Puy en Velay (Haute-Loire) to St Gilles (Gard)
• L'Etoile Guesthouse is looking for 1 motivated trainee, with contract of training course, between April 1 and October 1 (at least 3 months). Internship at L'Etoile Guest-house

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