Divine Lexicon

Term

Cluniac Federation

A network of Benedictine monasteries led by Cluny that initiated widespread monastic reform across Europe by the 12th century.

Filed underChurch History

Definition

A unique federation of Benedictine monasteries with Cluny at the head. Odilo established a network of abbeys, possibly two thousand by 1100, which flourished throughout France, England, Spain, Germany, Poland, and Hungary. The religious zeal and reforming spirit which accompanied this rapid growth was chiefly responsible for initiating an age of monastic reform.

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Sources

  1. 1.Jerald C. Brauer and B. A. Gerrish, ed. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971). 215Original citation: Brauer, Jerald C., and B. A. Gerrish, eds. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971, 215.

Last revised August 14, 2026