thumb|right|Grandmontine in surplice.

Grandmontines were the monks of the Order of Grandmont, a religious order founded by Saint Stephen of Thiers, towards the end of the 11th century. The order was named after its motherhouse, Grandmont Abbey in the eponymous village, now part of the commune of Saint-Sylvestre, in the department of Haute-Vienne, in Limousin, France. They were also known as the Boni Homines or Bonshommes.

Founding

The exact date of the foundation of the order is very uncertain. The traditional story involves serious chronological difficulties, and is based on a bull of Gregory VII, The founder, St. Stephen of Muret (Étienne in French; also called 'of Thiers') was so impressed by the lives of the hermits whom he saw in Calabria that he desired to introduce the same manner of life into his native country.

They tended to seek out woodlands and uplands to situate their monasteries. The architecture of the order of Grandmont is notable for its simplicity. A single barrel vaulted nave with a slightly wider apse. Three windows at the east and one at the west. Begging was only permitted when there was no food in the house, and even then the local bishop was first to be informed of their state.

They developed a reputation for simplicity of life and generosity to the poor, along with an emphasis on hospitality.

Zenith

thumb|right|[[Thomas Becket Reliquary, grandmontine enamel – Limoges (1200–1210).|250px]]

After the founder's death in 1124, sometime around 1150, having been compelled to leave Muret due to disputed ownership, the hermits settled in the neighboring desert of Grandmont, whence the order derived its name.

The system of lay brothers was introduced on a large scale, and the management of the temporals was in great measure left in their hands; the arrangement did not work well.

In 1979 the former Grandmontine priory of Sainte-Trinité de Grandmont of Villiers was to become the home of a small group intent on restoring the Grandmontine life style; with the permission of the local bishop they began to attempt the restoration of the principles of S. Stephen's monastic life, in the modern world.(Hutchison, Carole A.)

The Grandmontines featured in an episode of the popular BBC TV drama Bonekickers entitled Army of God.

References

Sources

  • , Orden und Kongregationen (1896), i. 31
  • Helyot, Pierre, Hist. des ordres religieux (17f4), vii. cc. 54, 55
  • Wetzer and Welte, Kirchenlexicon (ed. 2)

Bibliography

  • The Hermit Monks of Grandmont, by Carole A. Hutchison, Cistercian Publications, 1989.
  • Die Klosteranlagen der Grammontenser – Studien zur französischen Ordensbaukunst des 12. und 13. Jahrhunderts, by Birgitt Legrand, Thesis, University of Freiburg i. Br. (Germany) 2006.