Rapperswil - Endingen - Kapuzinerkloster - Einsiedlerhaus - Lindenhof - ZSG Helvetia 2015-09-09 16-38-48

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Rapperswil - Kapuzinerkloster - Antoniusgrotte IMG 3151

The Capuchin Friary, Rapperswil, (german: Kapuzinerkloster Rapperswil) is a Capuchin

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

located in

Rapperswil Rapperswil ( Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dia ...

in the

Canton of St. Gallen The canton of St. Gallen, also canton of St Gall (german: link=no, Kanton St. Gallen ; rm, Chantun Son Gagl; french: Canton de Saint-Gall; it, Canton San Gallo), is a canton of Switzerland. The capital is St. Gallen. Located in northeastern ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Geography

The monastery is situated to the west of the city of Rapperswil, below the ''Lindenhof'' of

Rapperswil Castle Rapperswil Castle ( Swiss German: ''Schloss Rapperswil'') is a castle, built in the early 13th century by the House of Rapperswil, in the formerly independent city of Rapperswil. The castle is located on the eastern '' Zürichsees western '' ...

on the shore of

Lake Zürich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...

on a peninsula called the ''Endingerhorn''.

History

The friary was established in 1606, consisting originally of only four ''patres'' (priests) and three brothers (friars), as a Roman Catholic counterpart to the centre of the

Reformation in Zürich The Reformation in Zürich was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrates of the city of Zürich and the princess abbess Katharina von Zimmern of the Fraumünster Abbey, and the population of the city of Hist ...

. The monastic buildings were built by the citizens of Rapperswil, and belong to the locality of Rapperswil, while Endingen - the site of the buildings - belongs to

Einsiedeln Abbey Einsiedeln Abbey (german: Kloster Einsiedeln) is a Benedictine Catholic monastery in the village of Einsiedeln in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, in recognition of Meinrad of Einsiedeln, a he ...

.Kapuzinerkloster Rapperswil official website
The friary was dedicated on 23 September 1607 by bishop ''Johannes V Flugi von Aspermont'' and is still in use. In 1662 the buildings were fortified: a small fort was built at Endingerhorn, and the monastery became part of the town walls as a fortified tower to the west of the city of Rapperswil.

Sights

The friary is renowned for its location by the lake on a rocky

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

. It overlooks

Lake Zurich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...

in the ''Kempratner Bucht'' ("Bay of

Kempraten Kempraten-Lenggis is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona, ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The remains of the Gallo-Roman settlement ''Centum Prata'' are one ...

"). The

rose gardens A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...

and the ''Antoniusgrotte'', dedicated to Saint

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic Church, Catholic priesthood (Cath ...

, attract pilgrims. The lakeside location of its church is also popular for weddings. The ''

Einsiedlerhaus Einsiedlerhaus is a historic building with an adjoint garden which is part of the former town wall of the medieval Switzerland, Swiss town of Rapperswil in the Canton of St. Gallen. Location Situated on the shore of Zürichsee lake, Einsiedle ...

'' is in origin the medieval bailiff's house of

, whence the name, and is situated at the former late 10th century ferry gate to the islands of

Lützelau Lützelau (Old High German: ''little island'') is an island located, with the neighbouring island of Ufenau, in Lake Zürich in Switzerland between Rapperswil ( away) and Freienbach ( away). Geography Lützelau lies in Höfe district in the Can ...

and

Ufenau Ufenau is an island located, with the neighbouring island of Lützelau, in Lake Zürich in Switzerland between Freienbach ( away) and Rapperswil ( away). Highlights on Ufenau include ''St. Peter & Paul'' church, ''St. Martin's'' chapel, and Ufen ...

Activities

In November 1992 the monastery opened its doors for guests, both men and women, to participate for at least one week with the monastic community. In addition, the Swiss chapter of the order allowed the community to seek new forms of prayer and liturgy. As of 2010, nine

brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

and two

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s (Orders of ''Baldegg'' and ''Menzingen'') are living in the monastery.

Cultural heritage

The building is listed in the

Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance #REDIRECT Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance {{R from other capitalisation ...

as a ''Class B'' object of regional importance.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 47, 13, 36.75, N, 8, 48, 45.70, E, type:landmark_region:CH-SG, display=title 1606 establishments in Europe 17th-century establishments in Switzerland Religious organizations established in the 1600s Christian monasteries established in the 17th century Religious organisations based in Switzerland Capuchin friaries Buildings and structures in Rapperswil-Jona Tourist attractions in Rapperswil-Jona Cultural property of regional significance in the canton of St. Gallen 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Switzerland