Rüegsau Priory (possibly Rüegsau Abbey towards the end of its existence) (german: Kloster Rüegsau) was a 12th-century Swiss

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is ...

s in

Rüegsau Rüegsau is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the Swiss canton of Bern. History Rüegsau is first mentioned in 1139 as ''Ruxow''. In 1229 it was mentioned as ''Ruchisowe''. The name comes from ''ruggere aue'', in m ...

, in the

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...

. It was dissolved in 1528 as a result of the

Reformation in Switzerland The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate, Mark Reust, and the population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matte ...

History

The origins of the community are unrecorded, but it is presumed to have been founded by Thüring of Lützelflüh, the founder of

Trub Abbey Trub Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in the municipality of Trub in Bern Switzerland History In 1125 Thüring von Lützelflüh donated land around modern Trub to St. Blaise Abbey in the Black Forest to establish a monk's cell. A few ...

, in the first half of the 12th century. A provost or prior is recorded for the first time in 1256. From the 13th century the names of the female heads of house, or ''Meisterinnen'', are recorded (with gaps). Between 1508 and 1516, an abbess (Margareta von Freiberg) is recorded. The nunnery was governed spiritually by the abbot of Trub. The priory acquired a number of scattered estates, which by around 1500 amounted to some hundred farms and other properties. In 1495 the conventual buildings burnt down, but were rebuilt thanks to the generosity and favour of the authorities of Bern. At the same time the priory bell was presented which now hangs in the church of Rüegsau. The priory was dissolved in 1528 during the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

. Its goods were used to provide income for the priests of Rüegsau and

Lützelflüh Lützelflüh is a municipality in the administrative district of Emmental in the Swiss canton of Bern. History Lützelflüh is first mentioned in 1225 as ''Lucelfluo''. The area around Lützelflüh was probably inhabited during the Roman era ...

, and part of the buildings was used to provide a priest's house. The remaining buildings were gradually dismantled: the last traces of the walls were removed between 1825 and 1831. The priory church became the village church. It was renovated in 1789–1790 and extended in 1874. Further renovations took place in 1947, 1990 and 1999. The church contains some notable stained glass windows by the contemporary artist

Walter Loosli Walter Robert Loosli (29 July 1932 – 29 November 2015) was a Swiss sculptor, woodcut engraver and maker of painted stained glass panels and windows. Loosli was born in La Chaux-d'Abel, a part of Sonvilier in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. He ...

. A small permanent exhibition on the nunnery's history can be seen in the parish house of Rüegsauschachen, displaying finds from excavations in 1964, 1965–1968 and 1978–1979 (for example, colour-glazed oven tiles, shards of pottery, tools and the fragments of a reliquary box). The excavations also unearthed a statue of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

from the time of the nunnery, of which a copy stands in the hall next to the church. The priory owned the still-extant chapel of

Saint Blaise Blaise of Sebaste ( hy, Սուրբ Վլասի, ''Surb Vlasi''; el, Ἅγιος Βλάσιος, ''Agios Vlasios''; ) was a physician and bishop of Sebastea in historical Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey) who is venerated as a Christian saint and ...

in the neighbouring hamlet of Rüegsbach, which has the oldest church bells in Switzerland (12th and 13th centuries).

External links

Homepage of the parish of Rüegsau: information about the priory

Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz: Rüegsau - Kloster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruegsau Abbey Benedictine nunneries in Switzerland Buildings and structures in the canton of Bern Christian monasteries established in the 12th century 1528 disestablishments in Europe 16th-century disestablishments in the Old Swiss Confederacy