A
Cistercian is a member of the
Cistercian Order (, abbreviated as
OCist or
SOCist , a religious order of
monks and
nuns. They are variously called the
Bernardines, after the highly influential St.
Bernard of Clairvaux (though the term is also used of the
Franciscan Order in
Poland and
Lithuania), or the
White Monks, in reference to the colour of the "cuccula" or white choir robe worn by the Cistercians over their habits, as opposed to the black cucculas worn by the Benedictine monks. The original emphasis of Cistercian life was on manual labour and self-sufficiency, and many abbeys have traditionally supported themselves through activities such as agriculture and brewing
ales. Over the centuries, however, education and academic pursuits came to dominate the life of their monasteries. A reform movement seeking a simpler lifestyle started in 17th-century France at
La Trappe Abbey, which led to development of the
Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (
OCSO), commonly called the
Trappists. After that the followers of the older pattern of life became known as the
Cistercians of the Original Observance.