Rüti Abbey
Encyclopedia
Rüti Abbey was a former Premonstratensian
abbey
, founded in 1206 and suppressed in 1525, in the municipality
of Rüti in the canton of Zürich
, Switzerland
. In the Zürcher Oberland
, Rüti, the owner of extensive lands, was the final resting place of the Counts of Toggenburg
, among them Count Friedrich VII
and 13 other members of the Toggenburg family, and other noble families. Between 1206 and 1525, the abbey comprised 14 incorporated churches and estates at 185 localities.
to the Premonstratensian Abbey in Rüti. On the Lake Zürich
peninsula at Oberbollingen, a St. Nicholas Chapel is mentioned, where around 1229 a small Cistercian (later Premonstratensian) monastery was established by the Counts of Rapperswil. That nunnery is estimated to have been (administratively) part of the Rüti Abbey; in 1267 it was united with the nearby Mariazell Wurmsbach Abbey
.
Initially founded as a branch of the Premonstratensian Abbey in Churwalden, Rüti Abbey, commonly known as Saint Mary abbey, was placed by the Bishop of Constance in 1230 to the Weissenau (Minderau) abbey and was part of the administrative district of Zirkaria Swabia.
The convent was generously endowed with money and goods by the aristocratic families in northeastern Switzerland, enabling it to buy the rights to parish church
es and additional estates, among them in Bassersdorf
, Dürnten
, Elsau
-Räterschen, Erlenbach
, Eschenbach, Eschlikon
, Fehraltorf
, Fischenthal
, Gossau, Hinwil
, Hofstetten, Mönchaltorf
, Neubrunn-Turbenthal
, Rapperswil
, Seegräben
, Uster
, Uznach
, Wil-Dreibrunnen, Winterthur
, Zollikerberg, Zollikon
and Zürich
. By gift, purchase and exchange, Rüti Abbey enlarged its ownership, concentrated in the early 15th century in Rüti (Ferrach and Oberdürnten), between Lake Greifen and Lake Pfäffikon and on the northeastern shore on so-called Obersee of Lake Zürich
. Rüti was an important stage point along the Jakobsweg (Way of St. James) leading via Rapperswil to the Einsiedeln Abbey
. In 1408, Rüti and the abbey came as part of the so-called Herrschaft Grüningen under the reign of the government of the city of Zürich
. On June 11, 1443, marauders of the Old Swiss Confederacy
plundered the abbey in the Old Zürich War
, and the graves of Count Friedrich VII of Toggenburg and other nobilities (Count of Thierstein and others) were desecrated.
, the abbot Bilgeri von Wagenberg moved about 100 bodies (in fact, their bones) of the Swiss-Austrian knights and soldiers, among them his brother Johann von Klingenberg, from the battle field and reburied them (most of them in a mass grave
within the church) at Rüti Abbey. In 1436, Count Friedrich VII of Toggenburg died, and was buried in 1439 or 1442 in a chapel (Toggenburger Kapelle) given by his noble wife, Elisabeth von Mätsch. The members of the Toggenburg family probably were buried in the so-called Toggenburger Gruft, a burial vault (tomb)
where is as of today the entrance hall to the church. In addition there was a large number of members of noble families/knights living nearby (Regensberg family excluded) and the families of the latter Amtsmann from 1525-1789. Most of these gravestones are lost, destroyed (probably the ones of the nobilities in June 1443 by the Swiss troops in the Old Zürich War), or were re-used for buildings etc.
.
The enormous number of estates of the former abbey — around 185 localities in northeastern Switzerland — were managed as Amt Rüti by an Amtmann (member of the city of Zürich government) until 1798. Following the Reformation, Rüti got one of the first public schools in the canton of Zürich, established by the Zürich reformers and some of the former monks of the abbey.
, stables, buildings for the monks, the cloister
that was connecting the buildings protected by a stone wall, and a large number of additional buildings, among them at least one mill that was using the waterpower of the Schwarz and Jona
rivers.
The present structure of the former abbey church, as of today the Reformed church
in Rüti, was built from 1206 to 1283 and rebuilt in 1706 and again in 1770. The church has one tower on the south. The interior is decorated with painted stucco created in the 1480/90s.
Most of the abbey's buildings were destroyed by fire in 1706. The remaining buildings were built probably in the early 16th century: the so-called "Spitzerliegenschaft" (stable and warehouse) and the Pfarrhaus (rectory
). The Amthaus (Bailiff
's house) was rebuilt in 1706 and serves as library, Kindergarten
, as a museum of local history and site of the archives of the municipality of Rüti.
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
, founded in 1206 and suppressed in 1525, in the municipality
Municipalities of the canton of Zürich
There are 171 municipalities in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland, .Municipalities are grouped in districts , their capital municipalities are written in bold letters.See also: Municipalities of Switzerland....
of Rüti in the canton of Zürich
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In the Zürcher Oberland
Zürcher Oberland
The Zürcher Oberland in Switzerland, is the hilly south-eastern part of the Canton of Zurich, bordering on the Toggenburg, including the districts of Uster, Hinwil, Pfäffikon as well as the Töss Valley as far as the district of Winterthur. The territory gradually fell under the control of the city...
, Rüti, the owner of extensive lands, was the final resting place of the Counts of Toggenburg
Counts of Toggenburg
The Counts of Toggenburg ruled the Toggenburg region of today's Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, as well as parts of the Canton of Glarus, Thurgau, Grisons, Vorarlberg, and Zurich when their influence was most extensive....
, among them Count Friedrich VII
Friedrich VII, count of Toggenburg
Friedrich VII, count of Toggenburg , was the last of the Counts of Toggenburg who ruled in what would become Switzerland. His death without heirs or a will led to the Old Zürich War....
and 13 other members of the Toggenburg family, and other noble families. Between 1206 and 1525, the abbey comprised 14 incorporated churches and estates at 185 localities.
History
In 1206, the estate for Rüti was given by Liutold IV, Count of Regensberg, and it was confirmed on May 6, 1219, by his brother, Eberhard, Archbishop of Salzburg. In the early 13th century a small church is mentioned in Unterbollingen, whose rights were transferred in 1229 by Rudolf (II) of Rapperswil and Diethelm of ToggenburgCounts of Toggenburg
The Counts of Toggenburg ruled the Toggenburg region of today's Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, as well as parts of the Canton of Glarus, Thurgau, Grisons, Vorarlberg, and Zurich when their influence was most extensive....
to the Premonstratensian Abbey in Rüti. On the Lake Zürich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
peninsula at Oberbollingen, a St. Nicholas Chapel is mentioned, where around 1229 a small Cistercian (later Premonstratensian) monastery was established by the Counts of Rapperswil. That nunnery is estimated to have been (administratively) part of the Rüti Abbey; in 1267 it was united with the nearby Mariazell Wurmsbach Abbey
Wurmsbach Abbey
Wurmsbach Abbey is a monastery of Cistercian nuns located in Bollingen near Rapperswil-Jona, in the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is located on the north shore of Lake Zurich...
.
Initially founded as a branch of the Premonstratensian Abbey in Churwalden, Rüti Abbey, commonly known as Saint Mary abbey, was placed by the Bishop of Constance in 1230 to the Weissenau (Minderau) abbey and was part of the administrative district of Zirkaria Swabia.
The convent was generously endowed with money and goods by the aristocratic families in northeastern Switzerland, enabling it to buy the rights to parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es and additional estates, among them in Bassersdorf
Bassersdorf
Bassersdorf is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Zurich, located in the district of Bülach, and belongs to the Glatt Valley .- History :...
, Dürnten
Dürnten
Dürnten is a municipality in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Dürnten has an area of . Of this area, 60.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 21.4% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
, Elsau
Elsau
Elsau is a municipality in the district of Winterthur in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Elsau has an area of . Of this area, 56.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 25.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 17.2% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
-Räterschen, Erlenbach
Erlenbach
Erlenbach may refer to:*in Switzerland**Erlenbach, Switzerland, Canton of Zurich**Erlenbach im Simmental, Canton of Berne*in Germany**Erlenbach bei Marktheidenfeld, in the district Main-Spessart, Bavaria...
, Eschenbach, Eschlikon
Eschlikon
Eschlikon is a municipality in the district of Münchwilen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-History:Eschlikon is first mentioned in 1280 as Aeslikon. During the Middle Ages, most of Eschlikon belonged to the monastery of Magdenau and Heiliggeistspital in St. Gallen. Eschlikon was part of...
, Fehraltorf
Fehraltorf
Fehraltorf is a municipality in the district of Pfäffikon in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Fehraltorf is first mentioned between 1265-87 as Rueggesaltorf and also as Altorf de Chiburg. Around 1670 it was mentioned as Rüeggis-Altdorff and as Feer-Altdorff.-Geography:Fehraltorf has an...
, Fischenthal
Fischenthal
Fischenthal is a municipality in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Fischenthal has an area of . Of this area, 31.6% is used for agricultural purposes, while 63.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 4% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
, Gossau, Hinwil
Hinwil
Hinwil is a municipality in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.- History :The village Hinwil from which the later municipality took its name is first mentioned in 745 as Hunichinwilari, in a donation made by Beata and Landolt to the Abbey of Saint Gall...
, Hofstetten, Mönchaltorf
Mönchaltorf
Mönchaltorf is a municipality in the district of Uster in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.- History :Mönchaltorf is first mentioned in 741 as Villa Altorf. In 872 it was mentioned as Altorf monachorum. It also holds the record for the longest Apfel Strudel.-Geography:Mönchaltorf has an area of...
, Neubrunn-Turbenthal
Turbenthal
Turbenthal is a municipality in the district of Winterthur in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Turbenthal has an area of . Of this area, 34.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 57.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 7.1% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
, Rapperswil
Rapperswil
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...
, Seegräben
Seegräben
Seegräben is a municipality in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Seegräben has an area of . Of this area, 49.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 15.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 15.6% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
, Uster
Uster
Uster is a city and capital of the district Uster in the Swiss Canton of Zürich.It is the third largest city in the Canton of Zürich, with over 30,000 inhabitants, and is one of the twenty largest cities in Switzerland...
, Uznach
Uznach
Uznach is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-History:Uznach is first mentioned in 741 as Uzinaa in a grant from a noble lady at Benken Abbey to the Abbey of Saint Gall...
, Wil-Dreibrunnen, Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
, Zollikerberg, Zollikon
Zollikon
Zollikon is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Zollikon has an area of . Of this area, 21.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 37.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 40.8% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
and Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. By gift, purchase and exchange, Rüti Abbey enlarged its ownership, concentrated in the early 15th century in Rüti (Ferrach and Oberdürnten), between Lake Greifen and Lake Pfäffikon and on the northeastern shore on so-called Obersee of Lake Zürich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
. Rüti was an important stage point along the Jakobsweg (Way of St. James) leading via Rapperswil to the Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated...
. In 1408, Rüti and the abbey came as part of the so-called Herrschaft Grüningen under the reign of the government of the city of Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. On June 11, 1443, marauders of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
plundered the abbey in the Old Zürich War
Old Zürich War
The Old Zürich War , 1440–46, was a conflict between the canton of Zürich and the other seven cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy over the succession to the Count of Toggenburg....
, and the graves of Count Friedrich VII of Toggenburg and other nobilities (Count of Thierstein and others) were desecrated.
Burials at Rüti Abbey
On November 29, 1389, seven months after the Battle of NäfelsBattle of Näfels
The Battle of Näfels was fought on 9 April 1388 between Glarus with their allies, the Old Swiss Confederation, and the Habsburgs. It was a decisive Glarner victory despite being outnumbered sixteen to one.-History:...
, the abbot Bilgeri von Wagenberg moved about 100 bodies (in fact, their bones) of the Swiss-Austrian knights and soldiers, among them his brother Johann von Klingenberg, from the battle field and reburied them (most of them in a mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
within the church) at Rüti Abbey. In 1436, Count Friedrich VII of Toggenburg died, and was buried in 1439 or 1442 in a chapel (Toggenburger Kapelle) given by his noble wife, Elisabeth von Mätsch. The members of the Toggenburg family probably were buried in the so-called Toggenburger Gruft, a burial vault (tomb)
Burial vault (tomb)
A burial vault is a structural underground tomb.It is a stone or brick-lined underground space or 'burial' chamber for the interment of a dead body or bodies. They were originally and are still often vaulted and usually have stone slab entrances...
where is as of today the entrance hall to the church. In addition there was a large number of members of noble families/knights living nearby (Regensberg family excluded) and the families of the latter Amtsmann from 1525-1789. Most of these gravestones are lost, destroyed (probably the ones of the nobilities in June 1443 by the Swiss troops in the Old Zürich War), or were re-used for buildings etc.
Dissolution
On April 22, 1525 Abbot Felix Klauser, with important documents, money and parts of the abbey's treasury, fled for refuge to the city of Rapperswil, where he died in a house belonging to the abbey in early 1530. On June 17, 1525, following the Swiss Reformation, the abbey was secularized; three of the monks converted to Protestantism and died in the Battle of Kappel, three remained in Rüti, and Sebastian Hegner, the last conventual died in exile in Rapperswil in 1561. The abbey's treasury, left in Rapperswil, is conserved today in the Stadtmuseum RapperswilStadtmuseum Rapperswil
Stadtmuseum Rapperswil is a museum of local history and art in Rapperswil, canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.- Location :The museum is situated in three Middle Ages buildings, remains of a former castle as part of the town walls of Rapperswil, as of today in the so-called Breny house, a keep, and...
.
The enormous number of estates of the former abbey — around 185 localities in northeastern Switzerland — were managed as Amt Rüti by an Amtmann (member of the city of Zürich government) until 1798. Following the Reformation, Rüti got one of the first public schools in the canton of Zürich, established by the Zürich reformers and some of the former monks of the abbey.
Architecture
The abbey comprised a hospital, a pilgrims hospiceHospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
, stables, buildings for the monks, the cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
that was connecting the buildings protected by a stone wall, and a large number of additional buildings, among them at least one mill that was using the waterpower of the Schwarz and Jona
Jona (river)
The Jona is a river in the Swiss cantons of Zurich and St. Gallen.- Geography :The Jona rises on the eastern slope of Bachtel hill near Gibswil and Fischenthal in the Zürcher Oberland...
rivers.
The present structure of the former abbey church, as of today the Reformed church
Swiss Reformed Church
The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zürich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basel , Bern , St...
in Rüti, was built from 1206 to 1283 and rebuilt in 1706 and again in 1770. The church has one tower on the south. The interior is decorated with painted stucco created in the 1480/90s.
Most of the abbey's buildings were destroyed by fire in 1706. The remaining buildings were built probably in the early 16th century: the so-called "Spitzerliegenschaft" (stable and warehouse) and the Pfarrhaus (rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
). The Amthaus (Bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
's house) was rebuilt in 1706 and serves as library, Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, as a museum of local history and site of the archives of the municipality of Rüti.
List of Abbots
| Name | acted as | from/to | remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ulrich | Propst Propst Probst or Propst is a German ecclesiastical title. The English equivalent is provost.Sometimes the Probst had a region attached, this was called Probstei.-Konsistorialbezirk St... |
1206–1221 | |
| 2. | Luther | Prior Prior Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St... , Propst |
1221–1224 | |
| 3. | Eberhard | Propst | 1224–1226 | |
| 4. | Berchtold | Abbot Abbot The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery... |
1226–1237 | |
| 5. | Ulrich II. | Propst | 1237–1257 | |
| 6. | Heinrich I. | Abbot | 1259–1266 | |
| 7. | Wernher | Prior, Abbot | 1272 (?) | |
| 8. | Heinrich II. | Abbot | ||
| 9. | Walther | Abbot | 1279–1283 | |
| 10. | Johannes I. von Rheinfelden | Abbot | 1286–1300 | |
| 11. | Johannes II. | Abbot | 1300–1317 | |
| 12. | Hesso | Abbot | 1319–1342 | |
| 13. | Heinrich III. von Schaffhausen | Abbot | 1346–1379 | |
| 14. | Bilgeri (Peregrinus) von Wagenberg | Abbot | 1379–1394 | |
| 15. | Gottfried (Götz) Schultheiss | Abbot | 1394–1422 | |
| 16. | Albrecht (Albertus) | Abbot | 1422–1426 | |
| 17. | Johannes III. Zingg | Abbot | 1428–1446 | |
| 18. | Johannes IV. Murer | Abbot | 1446–1467 | |
| 19. | Ulrich Tennenberg | Abbot | 1467–1477 | |
| 20. | Markus (Marx) Wiler | Abbot | 1477–1502 | |
| 21. | Felix Klauser | Abbot | 1503–1525 | Felix Klauser died in early 1530. Andreas Diener was chosen to be his successor, on April 5, 1530, the election was revoked. |
Literature
- Peter Niederhäuser und Raphael Sennhauser: Adelsgrablegen und Adelsmemoria im Kloster Rüti. Kunst + Architektur in der Schweiz, Vol 54, No. 1, 2003.
- Bernard Andenmatten und Brigitte Degler-Spengler (Red.): Die Prämonstratenser und Prämonstratenserinnen in der Schweiz. In: Helvetia Sacra IV/3, Basel 2002. ISBN 978-3-7965-1218-6
- Emil Wüst: Kunst in der Reformierten Kirche Rüti ZH. Hrsg. Kirchenpflege Rüti, 1989.