After an introductory review of the traditional historiographical narratives, and their deconstruction, the paper discusses the impact of the Cistercian economy on the landscape through the lens of topographic, landscape archaeological, and environmental data, focusing on the problem of manorial farms (granges) and drawing on examples from different regions (the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, Bohemia, Wales) that were – in some respects – marginal to the expansion of the Cistercian order. In addition to administrative and logistical considerations, environmental conditions (soil, relief) are highlighted as determining factors in the site selection strategies of abbeys and granges. Two conflicting narratives are outlined: one that sees the monks settling next to villages (as an adaptive strategy), and the other that emphasizes their preference for settling in areas where land reclamation is possible by using advanced techniques of farming (heavy plough) and water management. As a methodological intervention, the use of GIS techniques is presented, underlining also the necessity to systematically integrate environmental data in discussions on the problems of regionalization (diversity‑unity) and marginality related to the expansion of the Cistercians in different parts of Europe.