Disentis Monastery

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Disentis Benedictine Abbey (May 2011)
Cloister gate

The Disentis Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Disentis in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland . The abbey was founded around the year 700, bears the name of Saint Martin and is today as it was in the late 17th century. The two- tower church was built between 1696 and 1712 in the Vorarlberg Baroque and corresponds to the Vorarlberg cathedral scheme . Disentis Monastery is a member of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation .

The museum in the north wing of the convent building shows a collection of art and cultural history from the Middle Ages . Thanks to its high school, the monastery is still an important educational institution in the region today.

history

Princely Closter Dissentis 1698
Disentis Abbey as seen from Via Lucmagn (September 2019)

It is no longer possible to clearly date when the Frankish monk Sigisbert settled in the "Desertina". He was joined by the Rhaetian Placidus , a powerful owner of the region. But since the sovereign, President Victor in Chur, saw the previously preserved special position of Churrätien in danger, he had Placidus murdered. The tradition stylized the murder as a decapitation and subsequently called Placidus a martyr and Sigisbert a confessor ( cephalophores legend). By 700 at the latest, a monastery was built around her grave, led by Abbot Ursicin. The monks adopted the rule of St. Benedict .

The monastery was first mentioned in a document in 765 in the will of Chur Bishop Tello . In 940 the Saracens destroyed the monastery. As the guardian of the Lukmanier Pass , Disentis became important for imperial interests in Italy. Otto I. and Friedrich I. Barbarossa committed the pass on their way to the south. During this time the monastic state was established, which reached a size of 720 km².

In 1020 Emperor Heinrich II transferred the abbey to the episcopal church in Brixen . However, Bressanone's suzerainty remained controversial and ended with the restoration of monastic immunity by the same ruler in 1074.

In 1395 the prince abbot of Disentis was a co-founder of the Gray League . During the Reformation the monastery came to the brink of its existence. Gradually the religious and spiritual renewal took place, which found its striking expression in the baroque monastery building.

During the Second Coalition War in the spring of 1799, French troops looted the monastery. On May 1, 1799, the locals revolted against the French army. In response, the abbey and village were set on fire on May 6th. After the abbey had already lost its possessions in the Valtellina , it was left with "rubble and debts". Reconstruction was slow and was hampered by another fire in 1846. The canton of Graubünden also placed the impoverished monastery under state control: the cantonal monastery law of 1861 largely prevented the acceptance of novices and the previously very impoverished Disentis monastery threatened to go under.

There was a rethink in 1880 after a change of mood in the people and in the government. The driving forces behind it were the Disentis editor Placi Condrau , the young Truns politician Caspar Decurtins and Theophil von Sprecher from Maienfeld . With the help of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation, especially the Muri-Gries Abbey , the monastery was saved from extinction and flourished again in the 20th century.

Building history

The foundation walls of the pre-Carolingian St. Mary's Church and the first St. Martin's Church around 720 have been preserved. The fragments of the painted stucco furnishings are significant. In today's St. Mary's Church, the apses date from the end of the 10th century. The baroque monastery complex was built between 1683 and 1704. Brother Caspar Moosbrugger (1656–1721) from Einsiedeln is considered the architect . The church was consecrated in 1712. After the devastating fires of 1799 and 1846, the convent building was changed and increased by one floor. From 1895–1899, St. Mary's Church was built according to plans by August Hardegger (today library and museum). 1937–1940, with the building of the boarding school by Walther Sulser, the rectangle already provided for in the baroque plan was completed. 1969–1973 built the nearby school building by Hermann and Hans Peter Baur. Werner Schmidt made significant changes in the area of ​​the study halls of the grammar school in 1994 and in 1999 designed the so-called "Oberhaus" (boarding school for boys). In 2005 the so-called «Lower House» (boarding school for girls) was put into operation by Gion A. Caminada . Together with the other new buildings by Caminada on Salaplauna (cloister courtyard, Senneria), the Swiss Association of Engineers and Architects (SIA) awarded the overall project of the Benedictine monastery Disentis with the price umsicht regards sguardi 11 . The jury's conclusion: “The prudent reflection and the insistence of the monastery on its own profile as well as the respect for the special features of the local and regional in the implementation are impressive as a courageous, future-oriented process. Since vital tourism is inextricably linked with the tradition and culture of the management of the landscape, the work offers food for thought that radiates beyond the place and the region. "

The Caplutta Sogn Benedetg in Sumvitg , built in 1989 by Peter Zumthor , belongs to the Disentis monastery .

Interior of the monastery church

Interior view of the monastery church

Orientation to the north gives the room “theater lighting” from sunrise to evening. The windows remain hidden for visitors entering the church and looking ahead by the pillars, which slide in from the side like backdrops.

The paintings on the church vault are the work of Fritz Kunz (1868–1947). In the first half of the 20th century he was one of the most respected representatives of more recent religious painting.

The high altar comes from Deggendorf and was created by Melchior Stadler . The altar was brought to Disentis in 1885 as a replacement for the old main altar by Johann Ritz von Selingen (1666–1729) destroyed in 1799 . The Placidus altar to the right of the choir entrance and the Benedictine altar to the left of the choir entrance have been preserved from him. There are six more altars in the church. The choir grille is the work of Brother Joseph Bäz († 1737). The pulpit was created by Brother Petrus Soler von Schluein in 1717.

View of the organ

The organ was built in 1933/34 by the organ building company Gattringer (Rorschach). In 1955 the disposition was supplemented by 9 registers from Goll, in 1960 Orgelbau Mathis (Näfels) built the Rückpositiv. In 2020 the organ was restored by Orgelbau Kuhn.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
Principal 16 ′ (K)
Principal 0 08th'
Flauto dolce 08th'
Covered 08th'
Black viola 08th'
octave 04 ′
Gemshorn 04 ′
Hohlnasat 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
Super octave 02 ′
Mixture VI 02 ′
Dulcian 16 ′
Trumpet 08th'
II Swell No. 1 C – g 3
Ital. Principal 08th'
Pointed flute 08th'
Salizional 08th'
Principal 04 ′
Reed flute 04 ′
Fifth flute 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
Principal 02 ′ (G)
Forest flute 02 ′
Larigot 01 1 ⁄ 3  ′ (G)
Sifflute 01' (G)
Sharp IV 01' (G)
Krummhorn 08th'
shawm 04 ′
Tremulant
III Swell No. 2 C – g 3
Bourdon 16 ′
Principal 08th'
Flute covered 08th'
Delicate violin 08th'
Vox coelestis 08th'
Harp principal 04 ′
Transverse flute 04 ′
Rohrnasat 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
recorder 02 ′
Third flute 01 3 ⁄ 5  ′
Mixture IV 01 1 ⁄ 3  ′ (G)
Quintzimbel IV 02 ⁄ 3 ′
Rankett 16 ′
Trompette harmonique 08th'
oboe 08th'
Clairon 04 ′ (G)
tremolo
IV Rückpositiv C – g 3
Lead-covered 08th' (M)
Quintatön 08th' (M)
Praestant 04 ′ (M)
Pointed flute 04 ′ (M)
Schwiegel 02 ′ (M)
Octavlein 01' (M)
Zimbel III 00 01 ⁄ 2 ′ (M)
Wooden shelf 08th' (M)
tremolo (M)
Pedals C – f 1
Pedestal 32 ′ (K)
Principal bass 16 ′
Sub bass 16 ′
Echo bass 16 ′
Quintbass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′
octave 08th'
Violon 08th' (K)
Delicately covered 08th'
Gedacktpommer 08th'
Choral bass 04 ′ (G)
Bass flute 04 ′
Octav 02 ′ (G)
Mixture V 04 ′ (G)
trombone 16 ′
shelf 16 ′
bassoon 08th'
Clairon 04 ′
  • Remarks:
(K) = new register from Kuhn (2020)
(G) = register by Goll (1955)
(M) = Register from Mathis (1960)
Unmarked registers are original registers from Gattringer (1934)

Gymnasium and boarding school at the Disentis Abbey

The monastery school of Disentis was first mentioned in a document in 1285 with reference to the teaching of the Seven Liberal Arts . The historian and then rector, Father Urban, wrote in 1996, reviewing the entire history of the monastery: "The Disentis Monastery is hard to imagine without a school."

In the 19th century the school became a grammar school, since 1936 Matura exams can be taken. At the high school and boarding Disentis Abbey today around 160 pupils are taught. Around a third of them live in boarding school. In 2008 the physicist Geneviève Appenzeller-Combe was elected rector. In 2017 Roman Walker took over the rectorate, in 2019 Tom Etter.

Abbots

The Disentis Monastery has been headed by 66 abbots since it was founded.

  • 62. Abbot Beda Hophan: 1925-1963. Dates of life: 1875–1964
  • 63. Abbot Viktor Schönbächler: 1963–1988. Motto: In omnibus caritatis . Dates of life: * March 8, 1913; † Jan. 18, 1996
  • 64. Abbot Pankraz Winiker : 1988-2000; Abbot Praeses of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation 1991–1997. Motto: Pax et gaudium . Dates of life: * December 16, 1925; † October 25, 2013
  • 65. Abbot Daniel Schönbächler: December 18, 2000 to April 18, 2012. Motto: Unitas in diversitate . Dates of life: * 1942
  • 66. Abbot Vigeli Monn: since April 19, 2012. Benediction: May 6, 2012. Motto: Duc in altum . Dates of life: * 1965

1400 years Disentis Monastery

As in 1814 and 1914, the Disentis Monastery celebrated a big festival in 2014. The celebrations were titled Stabilitas in progressu . Various construction activities are pending: renovation of the monastery church, redesign of the monastery square, opening of the gate area and creation of barrier-free access to the monastery church, etc. a. m.

literature

Web links

Commons : Kloster Disentis  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Daniel Schönbächler in: Markus Riek, Jörg Goll, Georges Dasecoeudres (eds.): The time of Charlemagne in Switzerland. Benteli Verlag, Sulgen 2013, p. 84.
  2. ↑ Martin Bitschnau , Hannes Obermair : Tiroler Urkundenbuch, II. Department: The documents on the history of the Inn, Eisack and Pustertal valleys. Vol. 1: Up to the year 1140 . Universitätsverlag Wagner, Innsbruck 2009, ISBN 978-3-7030-0469-8 , p. 165-166, No. 193 .
  3. ^ Iso Müller : Disentis in the 11th century. In: Studies and communications on the history of the Benedictine order and its branches , 50, 1932, pp. 194–224, reference pp. 208f.
  4. ↑ Detailed information on the organ and its disposition on the website of the organ building company
  5. ↑ Urban Affentranger: The monastery school in the past and present. In: Disentis / Mustér past and present. Edited and edited by Gion Condrau on behalf of the Disentis / Mustér municipality , 1996
  6. ^ Daniel Schönbächler: Disentis. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  7. ↑ HelveticArchives
  8. ↑ Biographia Benedictina : Viktor Schönbächler
  9. ↑ Biographia Benedictina : Pankraz Winiker
  10. ↑ Biographia Benedictina : Daniel Schönbächler
  11. ↑ Vigeli Monn is the new Abbot of Disentis, orden-online.de, April 20, 2012

Coordinates: 46 ° 42 ′ 25 "  N , 8 ° 51 ′ 23"  E ; CH1903:  seven hundred and eight thousand four hundred thirteen  /  173838