Gonda (Lavin)

View of the southern ruined houses

Gonda is an abandoned settlement from the 12th century near Lavin in the Lower Engadine in the Swiss canton of Graubünden . The Gonda area has been protected by the Swiss Confederation since 1987.

Name and location

The name Gonda (also Ganda) is of Rhaetian origin and means stone or scree slope. The settlement was above and below the current route from Lavin to Guarda . Its ruins can be reached on foot in around 20 minutes from Lavin.

history

Remnants of the wall, view to the east

As there are hardly any documents about Gonda, little is known about the history of the village. The first written mention comes from the year 1161; 1317 a Gebhard von Gonda is mentioned. In the 16th century, Gonda is referred to as a fraction of Lavin. Ulrich Campell describes Gonda in his “Raetiae alpestris topographica descriptio” in 1570 as a village with around 30 houses. In 1741 Nicolin Sererhard mentions Gonda as abandoned and uninhabited in the "Einfalte Delineation of all communities of common three leagues".

It is not known exactly when and why Gonda was abandoned by its residents; several reasons certainly played a role. In addition to the difficult economic situation at the beginning of the 17th century and the Austrian invasion around 1620 by Alois Baldiron during the Grisons turmoil , there were natural threats from avalanches and flooding of the stream in the immediate vicinity.

In addition to the ruins of the church, wall remains of nine other buildings have been preserved. The partly heavily overgrown ruins are in meadows interspersed with groups of shrubs and trees. Window and door openings can still be seen in the walls of some.

In 1983 the Lavin municipality established the “Fundaziun Pro Gonda” foundation. Its purpose is to research the history of the settlement and to preserve and secure its ruins. Gonda offers the rare opportunity to explore a medieval village structure that was not destroyed by subsequent overbuilding.

church

Church ruin

The church of Gonda was the highest building in the village and was dedicated to Saints Bartholomew and Florinus . It was a 10 meter long and 6 meter wide simple, east-facing hall with a round apse . It was illuminated by two windows each in the apse and south wall. It was covered with a flat wooden ceiling. Due to stylistic features, it is assumed that it was built around 1200 or a little later; The masonry high altar probably also dates from this time .

The choir was painted probably around the middle of the 14th century. The fresco fragments mentioned on the information board can no longer be seen; nor are the consecration crosses on the side walls. The side altar at the northern corner of the choir probably also dates from this period.

A picture on the outer wall south of the entrance, like many other churches, probably showed Christophorus or Antonius . As a building, the church of Gonda can be compared with the church of Giarsun that still exists today .

In 1983 the Church of Gonda was excavated and examined by the Archaeological Service of the Canton of Graubünden.

literature

The story "Las chasas da Gonda" (German "The Houses of Gonda") by Rosa Saluz takes place in Gonda . It is a love story in the confessional field of tension during the turmoil in Graubünden at the beginning of the 17th century. The story appeared in 1920 and was the first publication by Laviner Verlag Chasa Paterna .