In order not to be distracted from the religious life, Cistercians built self-sufficient monasteries in isolated areas and refused to use servants.

They differed from Cluny in that all houses were under the direct control of the abbot, and each Cistercian monastery needed to take care of its own.

Bernard of Clairvaux, an abbot and the primary builder of the reformed Cistercian order, shared the same faith with Saint Robert of Molesme.

However, Bernard felt that Cîteaux Abbey was not austere enough and did not completely reflect the Rule of Saint Benedict.

Nine years later, the Bishop of Norwich fled to Fontenay to escape persecution, and helped finance the construction of the church with his wealth.

In 1359, the Abbey of Fontenay was pillaged by the armies of King Edward III of England during the Hundred Years' War.

In 1906 Edouard Aynard, an art-loving banker from Lyon, bought the abbey and commenced its restoration which was complete by 1911.

Cistercian monastery churches feature Romanesque architecture, including symmetrical plan, massive walls, sturdy piers, groin vaults, round arches, and a tall central nave.

In medieval Europe, the Cistercian ethic of manual labor work became "the main force of technological diffusion" in many fields, including metallurgy.

Except for the demolished refectory, the abbey retains almost all of its original buildings: church, dormitory, cloister, chapter house, caldarium or "warming room", dovecote and the so-called "forge", all built in Romanesque style.

As an alternative, small bells were attached into the wall beside the church door to call lay brothers to gather together.

[citation needed] The thirty-six meter cloister located at the back of the church is divided by pillars into small galleries.

This World Heritage Site has retained the greater part of its Romanesque and Early Gothic monastic buildings, giving uniquely intact picture of a Cistercian monastery of the 12th century.