Churwalden Abbey
Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland | |
Coordinates | 46°47′19.4″N 9°32′10.2″E / 46.788722°N 9.536167°E |
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Churwalden Abbey is a former
History
The abbey was founded under a
During the mid-13th century the Church of St. Michael (later St. Maria and Michael) was built about 250 m (820 ft) north of the abbey church. A fire around 1400 destroyed much of the monastery complex and over the following years it was gradually rebuilt. In 1446 it was raised from a monastery to an abbey. At some point during the 14th or 15th centuries the provost or abbot began building a comfortable tower house about 100 m (330 ft) south of the abbey church. The tower is four stories and an attic tall and was renovated multiple times over the following centuries.[3] In 1472 it was partially gutted in a fire and the upper two stories were rebuilt in the early 16th century.[4] The 1472 fire also destroyed the Church of St. Michael, which was rebuilt in the Gothic style and consecrated in 1502.[2]
In the early 16th century the
Abbot's tower
The abbot's tower was built around the mid-15th century and rebuilt in the 16th century. The interior was renovated in 1870. Inside traces of late-Gothic murals are still visible, along with Renaissance wooden panels in the abbot's sitting room.[4]
Church of St. Maria and Michael
The original church on the site was the Romanesque Church of St. Michael, which was destroyed in a fire in 1472. It was rebuilt from 1477 until 1502 in the Gothic style. The current church is a three-apse building with a choir that spans the entire width. The bell tower is located on the north side of the building. The unplastered tower was built between 1250 and 1340 and renovated in 1511. The west portal has a half-round arch that was once decorated with a coat of arms.[5]
References
- ^ Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance Archived 2010-06-28 at the Wayback Machine, (in German) accessed 17 August 2016
- ^ a b c d Churwalden Abbey in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ a b c "Abtturm Churwalden". www.burgenwelt.ch. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Ehem. Abtgebäude". Federal Office of Civil Protection. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ^ "Katholische Kirche St. Maria und Michael". Federal Office of Civil Protection. Retrieved 26 June 2017.