The Way of Saint James is the pilgrimage route the monastery is on. One of my favorite historical novels, "Strong as Death", by Sharan Newman, talks about a pilgrimage on this route so it was very cool to see the church, the fountain in front of the church, and the hostels used by the pilgrims that are now used as hotels or gasthaeuser.
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| Einsiedeln Abbey |
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln. A fair was going on when we arrived, so we parked in a cow pasture and walked to the abbey. A hermitage was established on the site in 835 by St. Meinrad, who brought a statue of Our Lady he had been given by Abbess Hildegarde of Zurich. The statue is of a black Madonna. He established a shrine to house the statue near his hermitage, which became a pilgrimage site.
St. Meinrad was killed by 2 robbers in 861. They were after the treasures given at the shrine by pilgrims. The local legend is that the robbers were followed into town by 2 ravens, who drew attention to them by loudly squawking, leading to their apprehension. The flag of the local village has 2 ravens on it because of this legend.
The abbey was consecrated in 948 and is known for its scholarship and learning. The library has been in existence since around 948 and has almost 50,000 volumes including some priceless manuscripts. A high school, seminary and college are attached to the abbey. The high school for grades 7 -12 has existed in its present form since before 1850.
As many as 150,000 pilgrims still visit the abbey annually. There are stands that sell pilgrim's badges (a sea shell) that can be taken into the church for blessing. The interior of the church is elaborately decorated with paintings and statues, but no pictures are allowed, so you'll have to go to a web site to see the details.
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| Hostel traditionally used by pilgrims |
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| Notice the plants up on the ledge! |
As many as 150,000 pilgrims still visit the abbey annually. There are stands that sell pilgrim's badges (a sea shell) that can be taken into the church for blessing. The interior of the church is elaborately decorated with paintings and statues, but no pictures are allowed, so you'll have to go to a web site to see the details.
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| The Lady Fountain |
The fountain in front of the church has water flowing from 8 different sides. Traditionally, women drink from each of the 8 fountains to ensure fertility. Audrey, the bride to be, did just that! I did not drink from ANY of them.
One of the things the high school students are required to do once each year is run up the slopes of Etzel mountain, next to the abbey. Audrey said this was quite a challenge. The students have a limited amount of time to make the trek. One thing I've already noticed about the Swiss ... they are all in much better shape than we Americans. Probably the amount of walking they do on all the hills and mountains is one reason. If I walked every day as much as I've walked today I'd be in much better shape!
After we left the abbey, we took the scenic route home and went through the town of Einsiedeln. The town is know as the home of Paracelsus, a physician who pioneered the use of chemicals and minerals in medicine.
I thought the German name of city hall was interesting ... "Rat Haus".
Once we got back to their home, Fred and Ruth cooked a traditional Zurich dinner of Veal 'bits' in a cream sauce with potatoes. I think we are going to enjoy eating our way through Schweiz!
2 comments:
Can't wait to see pictures!
Now you can ... I've got some up and will add more over time.
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