Wurmsbach Abbey (Kloster Mariazell-Wurmsbach) is a

monastery 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 whi ...

Cistercian nuns Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church. History The first Cistercian monastery for women, Le Tart Abbey, was established at Tart-l'Abbaye in th ...

located in

Bollingen Bollingen is a village (''Kirchdorf'') within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. Geography The village is located along the northern shore of the upper Lake Zürich (''Obersee'') between Jona and Schmeriko ...

, a locality of

Rapperswil-Jona Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, B ...

, 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. It is located on the north shore of upper Lake Zürich. The house is a part of the Order of Cistercians of the Common Observance (O.Cist.). Wurmsbach-Kloster-Mariazell in Jona

History

Count Rudolf of Rapperswil gave his castle of Wurmsbach together with a considerable area of land in 1259 for the foundation of a religious house and the abbey was established. It was initially a dependency of the Cistercian

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s of Abbey of St. Urban in

Wettingen Wettingen is a residential community in the district of Baden in the Swiss canton of Aargau. With a population about 20,000, Wettingen is the second-largest municipality in the canton. Geography Wettingen is located on the right bank of the Li ...

. The abbey church was dedicated in 1281.

Bollinger Sandstein Bollinger Sandstein or Bollingen Sandstone is a sandstone found on Obersee lake shore, namely between Bollingen and Uznach and Buechberg area, in the cantons of St. Gallen and Schwyz in Switzerland. Geography The sandstone is found on Obe ...

was used for the construction of the abbey by dedicated quarries.

Elisabeth von Rapperswil Elisabeth von Rapperswil (also ''von Habsburg-Laufenburg'', ''von Homberg''; c.1251/1261 – 1309) was the last countess of the House of Rapperswil, and secured by her second marriage the female line of the Counts of Rapperswil and the ext ...

died probably on 10 April 1309 in the

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 '' ...

and may have been buried in the ''Wurmsbach'' nunnery (''†. Apr. IV. Idus: Elizabeth die Graffin, Stiffterin. Excerpta ex Necromonast. Wurmspacensis'') on ''Obersee'' lake shore. The graves of her younger brother Vinzenz and her mother were excavated in the nunnery, but Elisabeth's grave so far was not discovered. Wurmsbach Rahn 1859

During the first Battle of Villmergen in 1656 and again during the occupation of the region by the

French Revolutionary Army The French Revolutionary Army (french: Armée révolutionnaire française) was the French land force that fought the French Revolutionary Wars from 1792 to 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary fervour, their poor equipme ...

in 1799, the nuns were obliged to flee. On both occasions the abbey was completely pillaged, with the consequence that there are few treasures left. As of 2011, there are 15 nuns in the community, led by Abbess Monika Thumm, O.Cist.

Sights

The abbey is renowned for its location at the lake side. It overlooks uper Lake Zürich and the church is listed as a building of historical significance.

Activities

The nuns run a secondary boarding school for girls. Gardening takes a great deal of time because the land owned by the abbey is considerable. The gardens are known for the herbal remedies grown.

Cultural heritage

The building is listed in the Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as a ''Class B'' object of regional importance.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1259 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in Switzerland Religious organizations established in the 1250s Schools in the canton of St. Gallen Cistercian nunneries in Switzerland Monasteries destroyed during the French Revolution Buildings and structures in Rapperswil-Jona House of Rapperswil Tourist attractions in Rapperswil-Jona Cultural property of regional significance in the canton of St. Gallen