This section contains an overview of the most relevant monuments in Switzerland.
4 July 2023
The chapel of William Tell in Lausanne is not a chapel. It does not have relics of the national hero Wilhelm Tell, who (when he existed anyway) never visited Lausanne. Moreover, the chapel was not founded by a Swiss but by the Frenchman Osiris. Although it is not a chapel, and there are three chapels … Read more » “The Tell Chapel in Lausanne”
26 June 2023
The Abbey of St. Maurice (canton of Valais), the oldest monastery in the West, an uninterrupted functioning abbey and laus perennis (perpetual hymn), was founded in 515 by Sigismund (? – 524), king of the Burgundian kingdom (443-534). The martyrdom of Saint Maurice and his Christian companions of the Roman Theban Legion lies at the … Read more » “The Abbey of St. Maurice and laus perennis (perpetual hymn)”
8 June 2023
It is not known whether Hortense de Beauharnais (1783-1837), daughter of Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814)and stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), and her son Louis-Charles Bonaparte (1808-1873) the later Emperor Napoleon III of France, often visited the island of Reichenau to attend mass in one of its three Romanesque churches during their stay at the Arenenberg … Read more » “Reichenau and Arenenberg”
1 June 2023
Those who think of monasteries usually have in mind a large complex with various buildings, vineyards and other farmland, a botanic garden and a large monastic church. The most famous example on paper is the design of a monastery kept in the library of St Gallen Abbey. This drawing, dating from around 840, likely originates … Read more » “Thousand Years Werd Monastery”
26 May 2023
As early as the 14th century, a fortress stood on the Emmersberg ridge in Schaffhausen. Old pictures show a mighty tower called Annot (ohne Not/without need), with a defence platform in front of it, the Zwingolf. Both were demolished after 1564 when the Munot was built. The so-called Römerturm (Roman tower) on the Rhine slope … Read more » “The Munot of Schaffhausen”
20 May 2023
During the Renaissance (1450-1600), painting facades after houses was a widespread practice. In Schaffhausen, many house facades were also decorated with frescoes. The frescoes of the house Zum Ritter are among the most important Renaissance façade paintings north of the Alps. The painter Tobias Stimmer (1539-1584) created this monumental mural between 1568 and 1570. Besides … Read more » “Facade Paintings in Schaffhausen”
28 April 2023
The church of Santa Maria degli Angioli in Lugano was built between 1499 and 1515 as the church of the monastery of the Franciscan Order. The Passion or Crocifissione by Bernardino Luini (1480-1532) is a masterpiece of the Swiss-Italian Renaissance. This fresco is also in the church today. Around 1504, Luini also painted the Passion … Read more » “The Renaissance in Ticino”
26 April 2023
The churches and chapels of Tessin (Ticino) are among the many charms of southern Switzerland. The many religious buildings, old and new, including those by Mario Botta, the Romanesque churches and chapels and their frescoes at the foot of the southern side of the Alps, hint at a different, ancient culture. Vaglio, San Antonio di … Read more » “The Churches, Chapels and Towers of Tessin”
9 April 2023
The origins of Murbach Abbey (in today’s Haut-Rhin department) go back to the time of the Merovingians in the 8th century. Around 727, Count Eberhard founded a Benedictine abbey at the foot of the highest mountain of the Vosges, le Grand Ballon, near Guebwiller (Gebweiler in Alsatian). The abbey was dedicated to Saint Leodegarius (Sankt … Read more » “The Murbach Abbey”
5 April 2023
Zwingen Castle (Canton Basel-Landschaft) is a moated castle built on the rocky banks of two small islands of the Birse. The main building and the palace complex were built in 1248. They have been renovated several times. Three bridges still connect the two islands with the village. The chapel is dedicated to St. Oswald. The current … Read more » “Zwingen Castle”
