Call for Articles | Cîteaux: Commentarii cistercienses

The editorial board of Cîteaux: Commentarii cistercienses invites submissions for a special memorial issue dedicated to the life, scholarship, and legacy of Canadian medievalist David N. Bell, who long served as Professor of Religion and Culture at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. We welcome original research articles that build upon, engage with, or are inspired by David’s scholarship.

Deadline: 15 December 2026
Please send article submissions to Terryl Kinder - kinder@citeaux.org - and feel free to reach out (to either Dr. Kinder or me) with any inquiries.

Suggested Themes and Topics:

Given the remarkable breadth of David’s research, we invite contributions on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

• Cistercian Theology and Spirituality: (Re)considerations of what we mean by “Cistercian spirituality,” studies on mysticism or Marian devotion among the Cistercians, or articles centered on the works of particular figures such as Aelred of Rievaulx, William of Saint-Thierry, Baldwin of Forde, Guerric of Igny, or Isaac of Stella.
• Monastic Libraries and Book Culture: Investigations into medieval library catalogs, book ownership, manuscript transmission, and monastic literacy, as well as studies specifically centered on the reading and book culture of Cistercian nuns.
• The Transmission of Ancient and Patristic Thought: Research into how Greek and Latin writers of antiquity (e.g., Plato, Augustine, Origen, Pseudo-Dionysius) influenced medieval monastic authors.
• Monastic Archaeology and Material Culture: Architectural, archaeological, or economic studies of Cistercian abbeys, as well as research into the development of physical monastic spaces and notions of privacy.
• The Continuity of Monastic Tradition: Articles exploring the survival, adaptation, or dissolution of monastic communities in the late medieval and early modern periods.
• Medieval Monasticism East and West: Comparative studies exploring the ties between western and eastern Christian monastic communities, examining, for instance, ascetic practices, textual transmission, or liturgy.

Submission Guidelines

• Manuscripts submitted must not have appeared elsewhere in any language, nor be committed to future publication, nor have been sent to another journal while under consideration by the editorial board of Cîteaux – Commentarii cistercienses.
• Language: Submissions are welcome in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish.
• Length and References: There is no fixed limit to the length of a manuscript; the announced subject should be treated fully with appropriate references. All references must be verified by the author before the manuscript is submitted.
• Style: Final articles must adhere to the Cîteaux style sheet regarding formatting, abbreviations, and citation conventions. Please see the style sheet linked here for further details.