Einsiedeln Abbey

The Abbey of Einsiedeln is one of the most important baroque monastic sites. On the site of the cell of the hermit Meinrad a Benedictine monastery was built in the early Middle Ages. Over the course of time, a pilgrimage developed, first to the chapel built on the site of Meinrad’s cell, then to the first image of the Virgin Mary, consecrated by the Lord, in this chapel. Even today, the chapel with the miraculous statue of the Black Madonna is still the destination of a pilgrimage that radiates far and wide. The present abbey was built in the Baroque period according to the plans of Brother Caspar Moosbrugger, with the church in the centre and the monastery square in front. The abbey has survived all the storms of time, the Reformation and the suppression during the French invasion, and still houses a lively Benedictine monastery.