 The Cistercians initially regarded themselves as regular Benedictines, albeit the "perfect", reformed ones, but they soon came to distinguish themselves from the monks of unreformed Benedictine communities by wearing white tunics instead of black, previously reserved to hermits, who followed the "angelic" life.Cistercian abbeys also refused to admit boy recruits, a practice later adopted by many of older Benedictine houses.Stephen acquired land for the abbey to develop to ensure its survival and ethic, the first of which was "Clos Vougeot".