Strange “hairy” covers of books in medieval Europe were made from seal skin obtained from Viking descendants, a new study has found.

Victoria Westover’s Final Vows takes you behind the habits and into the daily lives of nuns of the Cistercian order. With ...

The carved-wood statues reference a long-standing urban legend in and around Bransholme. For years, residents have reported seeing apparitions here. "People think they've seen a ghost," says Neil ...

Strata Florida Abbey (Ystrad Fflw in Welsh) near Tregaron is a significant spot in Wales where history, royalty, and spirituality collide. Founded in 1201 by white-robed Cistercian monks ...

The Cistercian monks described seals as the "sea calf," and there is no existing written record of the purchase or any use of sealskin at Clairvaux Abbey. The use of sealskin in bindings appears ...

Aubazine Abbey, a jewel of medieval Cistercian heritage nestled in the heart of Corrèze (Nouvelle-Aquitaine region), is about to be restored to its original splendor. The famous Chanel fashion ...

Books with furry covers are indicative of medieval monks’ role in international trade, researchers said. Lévêque, et al (2025) Royal Society Open Science At the end of the ninth century, a group of ...

But that’s all changed with the recent revamp of L’Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, a former 12th-century Cistercian abbey that’s been transformed by hospitality company Paris Society, the group behind many ...