The Trappists
Wishing to return to the early monastic tradition, some Cistercians founded the movement known as “close observance.”
A return to the rule, to the observance of the early fathers, a thirst for solitude, for continuous prayer, in a spirit of penance, all in reference to Saint Bernard: such was the project of the founders of the close observance.
All this took place in local contexts, pitting old and reformed religious orders against each other. This reformist dynamic emerged shortly before 1600, following the path laid out by the Council of Trent, which ended in 1563. The fathers of the council were well aware of the harmful influence of the commenda system.
Forty years after the end of the Council of Trent, a few monks from the Clairvaux lineage rediscovered the rectitudo regulae, and the term “close observance” appeared around 1606. The initiators were men such as Denis Largentier (abbot of Clairvaux), Octave Arnolfini (abbot of La Charmoye), but also Etienne Maugier, Julien Varnier, Jérôme Petit...
Among those advocating a return to primitive observances, Abbot Armand Jean Le Bouthillier de Rancé (1626-1700) was a fierce proponent of a return to the roots and the practice of a strict ascetic lifestyle.
Rancé's ideal was closer to that of the Desert Fathers than to that of Cîteaux. Rancé was commendatory abbot of La Trappe Abbey in Soligny, Orne, from 1636 (when he was 10 years old). After a period of profound personal questioning, he finally became abbot of La Trappe Abbey in 1664, but encountered considerable resistance from other Cistercian abbeys in his desire to return to the roots. He developed a very austere rule of life within his monastery, interpreting the Rule of St. Benedict based on the early monastic tradition. The community of La Trappe (the “Trappists”) remained united and fervent.
About 80 years later, Dom Augustin de Lestrange joined the Abbey of La Trappe, reinforced Rancé's regulations, and his actions helped to unite and safeguard the community during the French Revolution.
Over time, disputes over observance arose within the movement and, from 1847 onwards, there were three Trappist congregations (under the aegis of Westmalle, Sept-Fons, and Soligny La Trappe).
At the end of the 19th century, the various congregations finally united. The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as “Trappists,” was then canonically established on December 8, 1892.