Saint John Abbey

St. John's Benedictine Monastery in Müstair (Kloster St. Johann, Romansh Claustra Son Jon) sits in Val Müstair in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, right beside the South Tyrol border with Italy. It is one of the Alps' most important early medieval complexes and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. A small community of Benedictine nuns still lives here.

Why visit?

The draw is the Carolingian wall painting. Created around the year 800, the frescoes cover the church walls in horizontal bands holding roughly 135 biblical scenes. Art historians regard the cycle as the largest surviving one from the early Middle Ages. Very few places in Europe let you see paintings this old still in their original setting.

How did the monastery begin?

Tradition credits Charlemagne with founding it in 775. The story goes that he vowed to build a monastery after surviving a snowstorm while crossing the Umbrail Pass. That is legend rather than documented fact, but the dating of the frescoes to about 800 fits the period. Around the middle of the 12th century the community became a convent for women, as it remains today.

How were the frescoes rediscovered?

In 1894 the Swiss researchers Robert Durrer and Joseph Zemp found Carolingian paintings under several layers of later paint. Some pieces went to the Swiss National Museum in Zurich in 1908-09. The rest were uncovered between 1947 and 1951 with the help of the nuns. Since 1969 the Pro Kloster foundation has looked after conservation, with damp as the main threat to the paintings.

What is there to see?

• The monastery church, with the Carolingian fresco cycle and later decorative layers.
• The monastery museum, housed in a residential and defensive tower more than a thousand years old. A new permanent exhibition, "Wege von und nach Müstair" (Paths from and to Müstair), opened in December 2024.
• The monastery buildings on the village's main street, Via Maistra 73.

How to get there and when to go

Müstair lies at the end of the valley, near Mals on the Italian side. The road from Zernez crosses the Ofen Pass, and PostBus services also run on this route. Museum hours differ by season: from May to October it is usually open 9:00-12:00 and 13:30-17:00, and from November to April 10:00-12:00 and 13:30-16:30. Check muestair.ch for current times before you go. Guided tours of the church and museum run daily for groups of six or more.

Frequently asked questions

Is Müstair monastery a UNESCO site? Yes, the complex was inscribed in 1983.

Did Charlemagne found it? Legend and tradition say so and give the year 775. The frescoes date from around 800.

Do nuns still live there? Yes, a community of Benedictine sisters lives in the monastery.

How long should I allow for a visit? Plan on 1.5 to 2 hours for the church and museum, a little longer with a guide.