Pope explains how Cluny's monks enriched European culture

November 11, 2009

At his regular weekly public audience on November 11, Pope Benedict XVI spoke on the enormous influence exerted by the Benedictine abbey at Cluny on European society and culture in the Middle Ages.

The Cluniac order spread all across Europe, accounting for the foundation of 1,200 monasteries at the peak of its expansion in the early 12th century. The monks of Cluny had great success in promoting the education and the arts, in arranging truces to stop bloodshed, in caring for the poor, and in enriching the liturgy. They also brought important and necessary reforms to the Church, the Pope observed. While their cultural influence was immeasurable, the Pope said, noting that "Cluny's success was assured above all by its exalted spirituality."

Pope Benedict concluded his remarks by voicing the hope that Christians of 21st-century Europe will "rediscover, appreciate, and defend the rich cultural and religious heritage" that Cluny and other great Christian institutions bequeathed to the continent.

 

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Further information:

• Defending Europe's Rich Cultural and Religious Heritage (VIS)
• Pope urges Europe to defend religious heritage (AP)