Cistercian preaching against heresy needs to be viewed within the general setting of twelfth-century France and the specific milieu of monastic culture. This chapter surveys several trends of the twelfth century that underlie the white monks' role as anti-heretical preachers in the Lord's vineyard. Chapter Two examines Cistercian writing and preaching against heresy as an out-growth of monastic life and literature, a product of the domestic vineyard.

A period of transition between the patristic and the scholastic, the monks and the friars, the twelfth century witnessed economic, social, and religious ferment. Lay literacy and spirituality crystallized at the same time that new religious houses covered the landscape. The crucial elements in the backdrop of Cistercian preaching against heresy in Occitania belong to five important currents. The Gregorian reform movement renewed and reformed religious and secular institutions, elevating monastic observance as the model for all Christians. Schools multiplied and Latin literary culture flourished, secular and monastic, alongside the first vernacular literature. Europe's economy underwent transformation, and economic and social change provoked complex reactions from laity and clergy. Clerical and lay ‘textual communities’ expanded, grounding their spirituality on the vita apostolica and a common interpretation of Scripture. However, growth and centralization brought forth negative offshoots as well, notably the development of a persecuting mentality. The nature of these trends and their significance for the Cistercians, heresy and Occitania are examined in more detail in the remainder of this chapter.