Monastic Reform

Abstract

Two collections of Cluniac customs have come down to us from the days of Abbot Hugh: that of Bernard, which first appeared around 1074, and that of Ulrich, around 1183. Ulrich wrote, therefore, before the building of Cluny III, the final and greatest abbey church. A second edition of Bernard’s work was published two or three years later. Ulrich’s Consuetudines. which borrowed heavily from Bernard, were apparently compiled for Abbot William from the German abbey of Hirschau and are presented in a question-answer form. Although both works reflect personal and occasionally even critical attitudes, each is the contribution of a dedicated monk and the two gradually acquired a quasi-official status.