Bernardine Cistercians of Esquermes

The Bernardine Cistercians of Equermes are a small branch of the Cistercian Order. They follow the Rule of St Benedict, and co-operate with the apostolic mission of the Church through educational activities and hospitality. There are eight monasteries of nuns in six different countries, united by a central Government.

In the 11th century, three Benedictine monks, Ss Robert of Molesme, Alberic and Stephen Harding, sought to follow the Rule of St. Benedict in all its fulness. Along with a group of other monks who shared this vision of simplicity, austerity and fraternal life, they went to Cîteaux in Burgundy, where the 'New Monastery' was established in March 1098. They became known as Cistercians.

The new monastery struggled at first, but in 1112, St. Bernard arrived with 30 of his male relatives and friends. Their arrival was to give Citeaux new life and energy. Soon the monastery grew so much that new foundations were made, including Clairvaux in 1115, of which St. Bernard was to be the Abbot. Although St. Bernard was not one of the founders, he was to play a key role in the development of the new Order. By the time of his death in 1153, there were 353 monasteries of the order throughout Europe.

Many women wished to follow the Cistercian ideal and many houses were established including several in French Flanders.

The Abbeys of Notre Dame de la Brayelle at Annay (1196), Notre Dame de la Woestine at St. Omer (1217), and Notre Dame Des Près in Douai (1221) were three Cistercian houses for women in Flanders. In common with many monasteries in the area, the sisters were known as Bernardines. Following the French Revolution in 1789, the three abbeys were suppressed in 1792. Their goods were confiscated and the members dispersed. However this was not to be the end of the Cistercian ideal for three determined sisters.

Dame Hippolyte Lecouvreur (1747–1828) from Les Près, together with her blood sister Dame Hombeline Lecouvreur (1750–1829) from Annay and Dame Hyacinthe Dewismes (1760–1840) from La Woestine met together in 1799 with the sole aim of re-establishing their Cistercian life. They settled in the small village of Esquermes, a suburb of Lille. Here they were able to begin to live their monastic life again. As a way of earning a living and to show their utility in a régime that was still hostile to religious, the sisters opened a school. Before the Revolution, two of the Abbeys had had small schools for the education of young girls, so this work was in direct continuity with their origins. Educational activities remain part of the charism of the Bernardines to this day. In 1806, building work began on the new monastery.

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