Abbeys & churches

The cathedral is a fitting symbol of the episcopal city of Chur. Somewhat plain from the outside, it impresses with its magnificent interior.

The Monte Tamaro lies in the triangle between Lugano, Bellinzona and Locarno. It is famous for the Santa Maria degli Angeli church designed by Mario Botta and the scenic ridge walk from Monte Lema.

The intact walls surrounding the city and over 200 unique Gothic facades impart incomparable mediaeval charm to Fribourg. The old town is best explored on foot, like an open-air museum.

This Romanesque church is located high above the village of Prugiasco. Built in the 11th century, it was originally dedicated to St. Ambrosius.

Directly overlooking the Lake Schiffenen dam you discover a magical place with religious past. The cave open to visitors today, which measures a total 120 meters in length, was carved out in the rock by two hermits around 1700. Here, visitors find themselves walking over fossils and sandstone dunes from prehistoric times.

In St. Gallen you'll find history at every turn. The city's landmark is the Convent of St. Gall with its Baroque cathedral. The convent, including the library and monastery archives, was added to the Unesco World Heritage List in 1983.

St. Lucius is a small church, part of St. Lucius seminary, perched on a hillside overlooking the town of Chur. Although the church serves primarily the needs of its student priests, visitors are welcome.

The La Fille-Dieu abbey is situated right on the Way of St. James and is a welcoming haven for visitors as they can find comfort in the stillness away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Make sure to visit the convent’s shop because they sell the most divine mustard. It is prepared according to an old recipe that was found in the monastery.

Pilgrims have been visiting the monastery of Einsiedeln for over 1000 years. The monastery lies in the midst of a breathtaking landscape with a deep blue lake and jagged mountain tops. Today more and more nature lovers and culture-minded visitors are joining the pilgrims.

The Museum zu Allerheiligen is one of Schaffhausen’s most significant places of interest. Here, archaeology, history and art as well as natural history converge under one roof. In addition to its extensive permanent exhibitions, the museum hosts between six and eight special exhibitions each year.

The people of Brig are proud of the Stockalper Palace, which was built in the 17th century by Kaspar Stockalper. Visiting the cellars, arcades and halls of the palace, then dreaming in the palace garden under rose bushes, enjoying the view of the monastery, the Jesuit church and Brig's Old Town with their towers - simply delightful!. In the palace halls are wallpaper and silk-paintings designed in Paris in the 18th century.

Mario Botta’s church in Mogno at the back of Maggia Valley represents human rebellion against the white death. It is an architectural masterpiece to aid against forgetting.

Starting from Rossa in the idyllic Lower Calanca Valley, a new walk leads to three historic chapels with modern and abstract motifs on the exterior walls. Visitors can experience the region’s traditional architecture combined with modern art, as well as the beautiful natural surroundings of Parco Val Calanca.

The Benedictine Monastery, built in 1120, forms the center of Engelberg. To date there are still approximately 30 monks living and working in the Engelberg monastery.

A singularly beautiful panorama of the pre-Alpine landscape, the lakes and the snow-capped Alps. The Santa Maria degli Angeli chapel, designed by world-famous architect Mario Botta, is a marvel of contemporary architecture and features paintings by Enzo Cucchi.

The Collegiate Church of St. Leodegar is the oldest sacred building listed under the protection of monuments in the canton of Solothurn. It was first mentioned in 778 AD. as the Werith Monastery.

The choir walls of this church, built in around 1480, are covered by a cycle of wall paintings – now fully restored.

Along 14 Stations of the Cross, you can reach the "Lourdes Grotto" in a quarter of an hour on an easy walk from the church.

The minster is one of Canton Aargau’s most beautiful churches. It is the core of the medieval pilgrimage destination and erstwhile marketplace, Bad Zurzach.

The Kapellplatz surrounds tiny Peterskapelle, an 18th-century church that was built over a 12th-century predecessor. This chapel also lends its name to the Kapellbrücke, the charming wooden bridge synonymous with Lucerne.

This former Benedictine monastery with its cloister, crypt and Switzerland's largest nave, is closely linked to the history of the Habsburg dynasty. The oldest burial place of the Habsburgs is in the unique Abbey church; later tombs are in the Loreto chapel, with the hearts of Emperor Karl and his consort Zita.

The bell tower of the Gothic cathedral, high on the hill on which the Old Town is built, is home to the city’s most enigmatic resident.

The Basel Historical Museum with its three sites is widely regarded as the most important museum of cultural history on the Upper Rhine. It collects, conserves, records and researches objects and artefacts of relevance to our cultural heritage for future generations, tells visitors the story of Basel, and is a place for discourse and engagement with both present and future.

Founded in the 8th century, Disentis Monastery is today the spiritual and educational center of the Upper Rhine Valley (Vorderrheintal). A cultural history exhibition depicts the history of the Benedictine Abbey as well as ecclesiastical art.

All year around, the church's caretaker, Beat Gmür, and the sextant Erich Sax are afoot and afield in the Ammler mountains to find the material for the enormous landscape of creches.

Fischingen is the only lived-in monastery in the canton of Thurgau.

The Cistercian nuns at Maigrauge are ready to offer young women a temporary retreat in their cloister.

The Abbey of Saint Maurice in Valais was built 1500 years ago as a place to honor martyrs. The pilgrimage destination was once the spiritual center of the Burgundy Empire and today houses one of the richest ecclesiastical treasures in Europe.

What’s special about the Rapperswil monastery is that guests may truly immerse themselves in the life of the community.