Cistercian abbeys were located in the middle of neutral zones

The Cistercian order founded the majority of its abbeys in the hollow of wooded valleys responding to an adage affirming Bernard's love for these places. According to the historian Terryl Nancy Kinder, these valleys played the role of buffer zones or no man's land where noble warriors from both banks took a break from their conflicts. These sites also offered watercourses essential for powering mills and monastic industries.