Bishop Udo I of Naumburg [de] who belonged to the House of the Ludowingers, met the Cistercian abbot Bernard of Clairvaux for the first time at the Imperial Diet in Liège in March 1131.

[4] As a sign of the economic power of the monastery, the Cistercians were able to commission a new church and abbot's chapel (Abtskapelle) between 1251 and 1268, both of which are of artistic and architectural quality.

The grange was run by bearded lay brothers (conversi), including their own mills, workshops and efficient water supply systems in order to enhance the economic independence of the Cistercians.

The Cistercians managed to enlist parts of the peasant population into their service, offering the liege lords compensation payments for their release from personal bondage.

If the monastery's own financial resources were not adequate for such endeavours, Pforta was able to borrow large amounts of money within the Cistercian Order, foremost from the primary abbey of Clairvaux.

The construction of this weir was linked to the building of a canal of some 10 kilometres in length, which still exists today and runs from Bad Kösen via Pforta to just outside Naumburg.

A water expert from Pforta monastery and the highest-ranking fisherman from the Naumburg Cathedral chapter were assigned to perform the technical maintenance of the Kleine Saale and to settle any disputes.

[10] According to the records, Pforta had cellar and wine masters (1229 magister vini) in the 13th century demonstrating highly developed wine-growing and wine-making.

The vineyards were enclosed (first documented in 1268), and featured dry stone walls and terraces on the slopes, stairs, water drainage ditches or buildings as early as in the High Middle Ages.