The Säckingen Abbey, Glarus and Fridolin

12 March 2026

The abbey in Säckingen (Baden-Württemberg) was founded in the 8th century. The monastery played a crucial role in securing the connection across Lake Walen (Walersee) and the mountain passes from Graubünden to Italy. Glarus bought itself free from the abbey in 1395.

The abbey had its heyday from the 10th to the 12th century. The Fricktal (today’s canton of Aargau) and Glarus were the most important possessions. Glarus joined the Eidgenossenschaft in 1352 and freed itself from Habsburg rule at the Battle of Näfels (1388).

Glarus and St. Fridolin remind us of the long association with the monastery.

The abbey church, named Fridolin Minster, is a Gothic building constructed between 1343 and 1360 on the foundations of Ottoman and Romanesque predecessors. The Baroque and Rococo restorations began in 1678 and 1753 and define the present image of the church. The coat of arms of the canton of Glarus still shows Fridolin as the patron.

(Source: www.sueddeutscher-barock.ch).