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Display Order:
Cluniac
also known as: Order of Cluny
A reformed branch of the Benedictine Order which emerged from tenth-century Burgundy and dominated monasticism in the tenth and eleventh centuries. The abbey of Cluny was founded in 909 by William of Aquitaine, and duly established a congregation of affiliated houses throughout Europe. These houses which were either founded or reformed by Cluny, remained subservient to the mother-house; Cluny alone was an abbey. The Cluniac brand of monasticism was distinguished by an elaborate liturgy and splendid buildings, but by the late eleventh century was criticised for its excesses. A new spirit pervaded monasticism with a desire for simplicity and austerity. The Cistercians emerged as the Cluniacs' chief opponents. There were two Cluniac houses in Wales, Malpas (Monmouthshire) and St Clear's (Carmarthenshire). Read more.
