Solitary Moments in Einsiedeln, Switzerland
Few places in Switzerland have seen more pilgrims flock to its premises than the monastery and town of Einsiedeln. While religious pilgrims have been plentiful here, flocks of tourists have not yet followed suit, fortunately. Einsiedeln is thus the epitome of a Treasure off the Beaten Track destination for its religious and architectural importance, and for its mere lack of international visitors. Conveniently located half-way on most tour itineraries en route to the Lake Lucerne Region of Central Switzerland, Einsiedeln offers a much welcomed respite from the tourist-infested areas of Lucerne or Interlaken, equalling both in scenic beauty but offering instead unforgettable moments of spiritual renewal in a rare Catholic enclave of worship in what is otherwise a predominantly Protestant Switzerland.
Nowadays boasting a population of 12000 inhabitants and a huge baroque monastery complex & abbey church from the 18th century, Einsiedeln monastery looks back at over 1000 years of worship and prayer, since the Benedictine Order was established here in 934 by Abbot Eberhard from Strasbourg. The site of the order "in the dark forest" was where already in the 9th century Saint Meinrad of the Hohenzollern family had sought refuge from his nearby order on the island of Reichenau in Lake Constance. For several centuries, Einsiedeln monastery was a prosperous order and site of many pilgrimages until its first phase of decline during the Enlightenment and Reformation. Yet even Zwingli himself visited the Order between 1516 and 1518, and was unable to break the traditions of Catholicism in this part of Switzerland.
Following the trials and tribulations during the Reformation, the Order of Einsiedeln experienced a new Golden Age during the Baroque Period in the 18th century, during which the present Abbey Church and Monastery complex with its 4 inner courtyards was constructed. While the overall construction was headed by Brother Caspar Moosbrugger from nearby Vorarlberg Provice in what nowadays would be Austria, the Abbey Church interior with its ornate frescoes and stuccowork is regarded as among the baroque masterpieces by the Brothers Cosmas Damian & Egid Quirin ASAM, including the spectacular LADY CHAPEL built of black marble. Here we find the miraculous Black Madonna, named as such due to her black face, a miraculous Marian statue carved before 1466 and according to legend brought to Einsiedeln by Abbot Eberhard himself in the 10th century after receiving the statue as a gift from Abbess Hildegard from Zurich. Since the 18th century, Einsiedeln has thus become the destination of worship for up to 200 000 pilgrims annually, thus equalling Rome, Santiago and Loreto in importance as a place of pilgrimage.
Yet apart from the Monastery Complex, Einsiedeln town has yet further attractions to offer, ranging from its spectacular scenic location in the Swiss Alps, to exquisite cafes and pastry shops, its vast array of artistic water fountains, and other museums and sights dedicated to the community's religious legacy. Among the latter, the Panorama of Einsiedeln, a Panorama painting over 2000m2 depicting the Crucifixion of Jesus (http://www.panorama-einsiedeln.ch) may rank as the most outstanding and thought-provoking sites. More recently, an impressive modern ski jump was inaugurated in 2005 as a training site for the Swiss Skiing Association and may also be visited by groups upon prior reservation. Einsiedeln thus offers visitors a unique slice of local life in Switzerland and a rare glimpse into aspects of religous worship and plgrimage in one of the most important monastic communities in the Alps and in Europe as a whole.
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