World Heritage Photos

Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair – A Treasury of Ancient Murals in the Alps

The Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair was founded around 775, probably on the orders of Charlemagne, to give thanks for his safe passage across the Alps. This impressive convent is one of the few existing architectural examples from the Carolingian period. It is widely known for its Carolingian frescoes from around 800 and its 12th-century Romanesque frescoes and stuccoes; they are the most important series of figurative murals in Switzerland. The series of frescoes adorns the entire Carolingian St. John's Church. There is also a statue of Charlemagne in St. John's Church. The original Carolingian St. John's Church and the Chapel of the Holy Cross survived largely intact.

The fortified Planta Tower was erected around 960 to provide protection against the barbarians threatening the Ottonian Empire. The Planta Tower is considered the oldest fortified residential tower in the Alps. In 2015, around twelve nuns still lived in the Convent of St. John at Müstair. Müstair is the easternmost village in Switzerland. The village has been known since 1923 by its Rhaeto-Romance name Müstair rather than the German Münster. The Convent of St. John lies safely nestled in the remote Val Müstair; the landscape of this breathtaking valley is, together with the adjoining Swiss National Park (Parc Naziunal Svizzer), the first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the high Alpine region. In 1983, Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair gained status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

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1. 

   The Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair is one of the few surviving buildings from the Carolingian period. This imposing convent was founded around 775, probably on the orders of Charlemagne. The emperor did this as an act of gratitude for his safe passage across the Alps into Italy, after having survived a treacherous winter storm. The convent is renowned for its amazing Carolingian frescoes from around 800 and its 12th-century Romanesque frescoes. The convent became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

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   The small Chapel of the Holy Cross is situated in the cemetery of the Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair. The chapel was, much like the monastery, also built during the Carolingian period, which lasted roughly from 751 to 870. The remarkable structure features a cloverleaf ground plan (triconch). The number three is a medieval symbol for the Holy Trinity. The chapel houses two small chapels placed one on top of another, separated by the oldest dated bearing wooden ceiling in Europe.

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   The High Altar of the convent church of St. John at Müstair is surrounded by ancient paintings. The 12th-century fresco behind the high altar depicts the beheading of John the Baptist, an important biblical prophet. At the bottom of this Romanesque artwork, the remains of a 9th-century Carolingian image can be seen. Originally, the convent church was reserved exclusively for the monastic community, but during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, it also became a parish church. 

4. 

   The coat of arms of Charlemagne was painted on the vaulting of the Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair. A statue of the emperor stands between the central and southern apse of the church. In the late 15th and the early 16th centuries, Gothic details were added to the church. Most notable is the impressive Gothic vaulting. Also larger windows were cut into the south wall, a modification that unfortunately destroyed several of the historic paintings.

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   The monumental vault of the central apse within the church of the Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair is beautifully decorated with the rare medieval fresco of Christ Pantocrator. This outstanding Carolingian fresco portrays Jesus Christ surrounded by the twelve apostles and a large court of angels. Christ Pantocrator refers to a specific depiction representing Christ as the Almighty Ruler of the Universe. The Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.

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   This fresco in the southern apse of the monastery church of St. John at Müstair depicts the martyrdom of Saint Stephen. The frescoes on the church's interior walls date mostly from the early 9th century. Most of the frescoes depict scenes from the life of Christ; the west wall of the church shows the Last Judgment. In later centuries, the frescoes were covered in thick layers of whitewash. The frescoes were rediscovered in the 20th century. The original building of this Carolingian church survived largely intact.

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   A fine high-relief sculpture depicts the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. During the late medieval Gothic restoration, this old Romanesque relief was preserved and mounted on the north wall of the Carolingian abbey church at Müstair. The baptism of Christ was the most important moment in the life of the prophet, even more important than his decapitation. The church of this convent is dedicated to this biblical prophet, who is also known as John the Forerunner or Saint John the Prodromos.

8. 

   This sundial is located on the south wall of the Planta Tower. This fortified tower of the convent at Müstair was erected around 960 and its interior was arranged as living quarters. This remote convent has been inhabited by Benedictine nuns since the 12th century. The Planta Tower is considered the oldest fortified residential tower in the Alps. The structure is named after the Abbess Angelina von Planta, who rebuilt the interior following a fire in 1499. Since 2003, this approximately 25-metre-high tower has housed the convent museum.

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   The Planta Tower rises high above the Benedictine Convent of St. John and the isolated Müstair Valley. In the years immediately following its founding, the monastery was inhabited by a group of monks under the leadership of a bishop. From the 9th century onwards, the community lived according to the Rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia, guarded the mountain passes, ensured safe passage, and, for a fee, provided lodging to travellers and pilgrims making their way through the treacherous Alps. Following the departure of the monks in 1163, the complex became a nunnery, headed by an abbess.

10. 

    The Grialetsch Valley viewed from the Flüela Pass, a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps. The Val Müstair is home to the Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair and is the most isolated valley in Switzerland. From the Swiss Engadine region, it can only be reached by crossing two mountain passes. By car, you follow a spectacular route and traverse both the Flüela Pass (2,383 metres high) and the Ofen Pass (2,149 metres high), also known as the Fuorn Pass. A section of the Ofen Pass runs through the Swiss National Park (Parc Naziunal Svizzer) which, together with the Val Müstair, forms the first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Alps. The road across the Ofen Pass is renowned for its scenic views.