Which religious order was founded by St. Robert, Abbot of Molesme, near Dijon in 1098?
Molesme Abbey given them. This dissatisfaction reached the point of open rebellion and Robert therefore left Molesme in 1098, accompanied by only the most fervent religious, and this time founded Cîteaux Abbey, which although it was originally intended as a Benedictine monastery, became the first and mother-house of the Cistercian Order. The monks of Molesme meanwhile repented of their faults, and begged Pope Urban II to oblige Robert to return to them, which he did in 1099, and continued to govern them and to make of Molesme a centre of strict Benedictine observance until his death in 1110. Besides Cîteaux, Molesme founded
Robert of Molesme the community grew increasingly wealthy, it began to attract men seeking entry for the wrong reasons. They caused a division among the brothers, challenging Robert's severity. Robert twice tried to leave Molesme but was ordered back by the Pope. In 1098, Robert and twenty-one of his monks left Molesme with the intention of never returning. Renaud, the viscount of Beaune, gave this group a desolate valley in a deep forest; there they founded Cîteaux Abbey. Saints Stephen Harding and Alberic – two of Robert's monks from Molesme – were pivotal in founding the new house. The archbishop of Lyons, being