Saint John Abbey
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How it came to be
The Convent of St John stands in a valley of the Grisons on the southern side of the Alps, in the far south-east of Switzerland. It was founded in the late 8th century, probably on the orders of Charlemagne, beside the pass that crosses the Alps from Italy.
Its church keeps a cycle of Carolingian frescoes painted around the first half of the 9th century, still in place. They run in five rows showing the life of King David, the childhood and Passion of Christ and the martyrdom of Saint Andrew, tied together by a Last Judgement on the west wall. In the 12th century parts were painted over in Romanesque style, and the older murals were found again in 20th-century restoration.
In the 12th century the monastery became a house of nuns, first mentioned in 1167. On 20 January 1499 Habsburg troops occupied the valley and plundered the convent, an event that started the Swabian War. Religious life has continued without a break to this day, and the convent was inscribed in 1983.
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