After nearly 900 years, the Trappist monks may be leaving the Abbey of Our Lady of La Trappe in Normandy, France, one of the most iconic symbols of the Cistercian tradition founded in the 12th century. The monks, who belong to the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance (also known as the Trappist order, which follows the Rule of St. Benedict), reported that they were considering leaving the monastery in 2028 due to “the shortage of vocations and the increasing burden of owning the land.” La Trappe is the Trappists’ motherhouse and the source of their informal name. The Abbey was built in 1122, although the Trappists were founded in 1664.
