Kloster Disentis

Disentis Abbey, with its secondary and boarding school, and its pastoral care, is a spiritual and religious center that stands in solidarity with the people of the Cadi and Surselva regions.

Foundation Around the year 700, the Frankish monk Sigisbert came up the Rhine in the tradition of the Hiberno-Scottish wandering monks and built a hermitage in the uninhabited area of Desertina. He was supported by Placidus, a local Rhaetian. From this, Disentis Abbey was born. The violent death of Placidus was regarded as a martyrdom. The feast day of Disentis' founding saints, Placidus and Sigisbert, is July 11; it is celebrated on the preceding Sunday. Early Middle Ages The so-called Tello Testament of 765 lists widespread properties (scattered holdings) of the Disentis Monastery. The entry in the Reichenau Book of Fraternity (a prayer connection between monasteries) mentions Raetian, Frankish, Alemannic, and Lombard names. Disentis was therefore intercultural from the very beginning. Presumably under Abbot Ursicinus, the monastery became Benedictine. Charlemagne included it in his pass policy. The early medieval monastery complex—which was probably destroyed by the Saracen incursion of 940—has been archaeologically confirmed. Feudal Middle Ages German emperors used the Lukmanier Pass on their way to Italy. Disentis became of political interest. As feudal lords, the prince-abbots were responsible for events in the valley. From the 12th century, the valley communities grew stronger and the influence of the monastery began to wane. Nevertheless, the abbots still played an important role in the union of the Raetian dynasts and the Bündner judicial communities into the Grey League. In 1497, the Grey League was admitted as an associate member into the Swiss Confederation. Baroque Period After the difficult time of the Reformation and the visit of Cardinal Charles Borromeo in 1581, the monastery and school were able to reestablish themselves. The tension-filled Baroque period suffered on the one hand from the Bündner turmoil, famine, plague, and witch hunts, and on the other hand led to spiritual and religious renewal. An expression of this is the new Baroque building with monastery and monastery church, constructed from 1685 to 1704. French Revolution After the French Revolution, Disentis was caught up in the turmoil of war, which in 1799 led to the burning of the monastery. The archives and library were destroyed, and art treasures were confiscated as war contributions. The abbey lost its possessions in Valtellina and almost half of its assets. What remained were "rubble and debts." A prominent figure of this time was Father Placidus Spescha (1752–1833)—a universal, challenging spirit who became a legend for posterity. Secularization and Restoration During secularization, Disentis escaped the fate of many abbeys—it was never dissolved. The restoration of 1880 came after a change in sentiment among the people and government. With the help of the Swiss Benedictine Congregation, Disentis was able to recover and flourish anew under Abbot Benedikt Prevost (1888–1916). Present The Surselva region underwent rapid development in the 20th century: from mountain farming self-sufficiency to a tourism region. The present-day monastery, with its high school and boarding school and pastoral care, is a spiritual and religious center and feels solidarity with the people of the Cadi (from "Casa Dei," the former monastic lordship) and the Surselva.