Trappist
a religious order, celebrated for its extraordinary austerities, is so called from an abbey of the Cisthe middle of the 12th century, in the narrow valley of La Trappe, near Mortagne, in the Norman department of Orne-called "the trap" because of its inaccessibility. In the first half of the 17th century the fell, with other ecclesiastical preferments, to Dominique Armand-Jean le Bouthillier de Rancé (1626-1700), originally an accomplished who suddenly turned his back on the vanities of the world. It was in 1662 that he commenced his reforms. At first he encountered violent tered violent opposition from the brethovercame it all. He himself entered on a fresh novitiate in 1663, made anew the solemn profession, and was reinstalled as abbot. The monks were forbidden the use of meat, fish, wine, and eggs.
All intercourse with externs was cut off.
The reform of De Rancé is founded on the principle of perpetual prayer and entire selfabnegation. By the Trappist rule the monks are obliged to rise at two o'clock A. M. for matins in the church, which last till half -past three; and after an interval occupied in private devotion they go at half-past five to the office of prime, which is followed by a lecture. At seven they engage in their several daily or out, according to the weather. At half-past nine they return to the choir for successive offices of terce, the close of which they dine on vegetables dressed without butter or oil, or on vegetable soup, and a little fruit.
Milk and cheese are used save in time of fast; the sick are allowed eggs. The dietary is not the same in all the houses of the order. In some, light beer or wine is sparingly allowed. The is succeeded by manual labor for two hours, after which each in private prayer or reading in his own cell till four o'clock, when they again assemble in the choir supper consists of bread and water, and after a short inis followed by a lecture. TRAPPIST
At six o'clock they recite compline in choir, and at the end spend half an hour , retiring to rest at eight o'clock. The bed is a hard straw matcoarse coverlet; and the Trappist never lays aside his habit, even in case of sickness , unless it should prove extreme. Perpetual silence is prescribed, tain stated times; only the abbot and the save in cases of necessity, and at cernecessity, and at cerguest-master are allowed to speak to of manual and other signs are practiced. strangers. But conversation by means The minor practices and observances are the monk at the rigor of judgment; and the last scene of life is made signal in its austerity every turn of the shortness of life and by the dying man being laid during his death-agony on a few handfuls of straw, that he may, as it were, lay aside on even the last fragment of earthly comfort to which the necessities of natural life had till then compelled him to cling. scarcely extended beyond France in the The reformed order of La Trappe mates of La Trappe shared, at the Rev- first period of its institution. The infirst period of its institution. The inolution, the common fate of all the religious houses of ligious houses of France; they were commonastery. But a considerable number of them found a shelter at Valsainte, in the canton of . In the vicissitudes of the Revolutionary War they munity numbering about 250, together were driven from this house; and a comwith a large number of nuns who had been established for purposes of education, found refuge at Constance, at Augsburg, at Munich, and even in Russia.
During the Revolutionary War small coma certain footing in Italy, Spain, America, England, and, notprohibitory law, even in France, at Mont Genèvre. After the Restoration they resumed, by purchase After the (1817), (1817), possessions of their old home at continued to be the head monastery of the order. During the course of the next 50 years they formed many many establishments in France, the house being one of the famous abbeys.
When, in 1880, 1,450 brethren of the order were expelled from France, only a comparatively small number were left. In England the Cistercian house of St. Bernard , in Leicestershire, is Trappist; so is the convent at Stapehill, Ireland the order has houses at Mount Melleray, near Cappoquin; in Waterford, and at Roscrea, in Tipperary.
America has houses at Gethsemane, in Kentucky; at New Melleray, near Du- Tracadie, in Nova Scotia, TRAPPIST and at Oka, on the Ottawa river, 36 miles from Montreal; there are houses in Germany, Algiers, Italy, and Belgium.
In 1908 it was claimed that the Trappists numbered 4,000 monks, occupying 71 monasteries. a