Saturday, March 24, 2012

Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair

Thank you 'Zasa Lein' for the great swaps :D

I have not visited this place but I should go there and for sure after seeing the postcards that I have. Many years ago I have seen a TV series about Charlemagne and I am fascinated by him and for me, too see places related to him is great even though maybe he has no connection, only the influence of his power.

Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair was established ca. 780 under orders from Charlemagne. Because of its exceptionally well-preserved heritage of Carolingian art, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. It is located in the upper valley of the Canton of Grisons in Switzerland (close to Davos and St. Moritz and just a hair distance to Italy) and it has a great series of figurative murals, painted c. A.D. 800, along with Romanesque frescoes and stuccoes. During the 20th-century restoration works, some of that frescoes from the 1160s were discovered here. Scenes from the life of King David are painted and also scenes from the youth, life, and Passion of Christ. On the bottom row of the paintings we can see the crucifixion of St. Andreas. On 20 January 1499, Habsburg troops occupied the surrounding valley and plundered the convent, but were soon driven back by the forces of the Three Leagues at the Battle of Calven. Following the raid, an armistice was signed between the Habsburgs and the Three Leagues. However this armistice only lasted a few days before the conflicts broke out between the Three Leagues' Old Swiss Confederacy allies and the Habsburg troops. These raids quickly escalated into the Swabian War, which ended in September 1499 with the Treaty of Basel granting virtual independence to the Swiss Confederacy. About 1500 the convent church was modified from a single-nave Carolingian construction into a three-nave late gothic church. Within the enclosure walls of the monastery are found other early elements, among them, in particular, in the north-west quarter, the residence of Bishop Norbert with its remarkable decor of frescoes and stucco-work in the two-storey chapel.

46.629798,10.448496 Click for Google Maps or use numbers on your GPS to navigate.
Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.
Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Switzerland For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.



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