The community of Westmalle belongs to the ‘Order of Cistercians of Strict Observance’, better known as ‘the Trappists’.
The Cistercian Order goes back to Saint Benedict. When in the fifth century Saint Benedict started to assemble monks in communities around him and to set up monasteries, Christian monks had already been around for a good century. They were originally hermits who lived in the deserts of the Near East according to an extremely strict way of life.
Saint Benedict moderated this strict lifestyle. The result of his findings are reflected in his Rule for Monks. This Rule soon became one of the most widespread monastic rules. From there came the first large monastic order: the ‘Order of Cluny’ or the ‘Cluniacs’.
