The story of the first generation of Cistercians who came to Poland around 1150 shows the evolution of their monastic life from reformist ideals to a gradual distance from them. Initially settling in uninhabited areas, they led a contemplative life and cultivated fields for themselves. However, with the decline of monastic life in the 15th-19th centuries, the Cistercians moved away from the role of spiritual fathers of their communities, becoming rather local lords and prelates. Despite attempts at reform, this departure from the original ideals led to marginalization, and the liquidation of the orders in 1819 left only two monasteries in Poland. Today's Polish Cistercians are a pastoral order with a monastic past, which illustrates the variability of their role and dilemmas in choosing authentic models of monastic life.
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