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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

The Abbaye de Royaumont is gearing up for a bucolic weekend as part of Rendez-Vous aux Jardins 2025. Discover the program for ...