The Cistercian phenomenon occupies a key place in the history of Western culture. From its origins in Burgundy, the Cistercian Order grew to dominate reformed European monasticism in the high Middle Ages. The transition from the Romanesque to Gothic styles occurred in the 12th century when the Order was expanding most dramatically. Its architecture was exquisitely designed to reflect the simplicity and austerity required for this experiment in monastic life. The lines are sharp and clean, the decor minimal, the spaces created to embody – and to reflect – the contemplative experience. While the Cistercian Order grew to include approximately 1700 abbeys for men and women, it did not end with the Middle Ages, and architecture was not its only manifestation. The importance of this volume is to show how the many arts created by and for Cistercian abbeys continued well beyond the medieval period. Under the supervision of Terryl N. Kinder and Roberto Cassanelli, the Cistercian world is analyzed in depth by more than 30 international specialists in a 40-chapter synthesis of research. This encompasses not only the theological and spiritual aspects, but also material culture. Music, libraries, water management, metallurgy, farming, liturgical arts, sacred reading and many other facets of monastic life are traced from the founding of the order in 1098 to the present day. This volume is a reference work on Cistercian life and arts, offering a broad view of a contemplative Order which expanded from its modest origins in the Burgundian heartland to encompass six continents.