It was founded in the wake of the 11th century Benedictine reform movement. While the exact date and circumstances of the foundation are unknown, it was probably supported by the Savoy abbeys in the Vallée d'Aulps and in the French Jura Mountains. The oldest surviving document mentioning the abbey is a deed of gift from the lords of Divonne and Gingins in 1131. The deed mentions, without elaboration, the presence of a monastic community at Bonmont in 1123, and makes clear that in 1131, six years after a visit of Bernard of Clairvaux to the area, the monastery had joined the Cistercian Order.