Abbaye Blanche

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Shortly after establishing an abbey for men called Holy Trinity of Savigny, Saint Vitalis, founder of the monastic order of Savigny, set up Abbaye Blanche for women. The church's architecture includes a Latin cross, nave, and wide transept. The style is Early Gothic, though unfortunately only the chapter house, cellar and Romanesque cloister remain in their original 12th-century form.

Although few of the customs from the time of Vitalis survive today, the women of Abbaye Blanche wore undyed rule and followed a very strict interpretation of the Order of Saint Benedict. The communities of Holy Trinity and Abbaye Blanche joined the Cistercian order in 1147, having some 30 houses in the complex at Savigny at the time.

References

* [http://www.mondes-normands.fr/angleterre/Patrimoine_architectural/Normandie/Avranchin/mortain/1606Mortain/index.htm Mortain: Abbaye blanche]
* [http://www.jstor.org/view/00387134/di952127/95p07337/0 J. J. van Moolenbroek's article on JSTOR] (login required)