Parish and Monastery Church of the Assumption of Mary, Pfäfers
Baroque monastery church of the former Benedictine monastery of St. Maria Pfäfers. Its splendor still delights art and church lovers today.
The Founding of the Monastery - The Legend
According to a legend depicted on the ceiling of the sacristy, Saint Pirmin traveled from Reichenau across Lake Constance to our region with 12 monks around 721. He wanted to build a monastery in Marschlins above the Rhine. During construction, a carpenter cut his leg with an axe. A white dove flew by, took a splinter of wood soaked with three drops of blood in its beak, and flew up the hill over the Rhine. The men who were chasing the dove saw it drop the splinter on the hill. The men understood this as a sign from God and decided to build the monastery here. They named the place Favares, which means beech forest.
The location of a church or monastery is often based on a legend. The dove acts as a so-called guiding animal. It indicates the correct location for the monastery. Whether Saint Pirmin founded the monastery himself is doubtful. Pfäfers is not mentioned in his biography.
The monastery was located on a "monks' road" that stretched from the island of Rheinau on Lake Constance via St. Gallen and Pfäfers to Disentis and further to Como. The first monks came from Rheinau Monastery.
The white dove with the bloody spear later adorned the coat of arms of Pfäfers Monastery. Today, the local community and the political municipality use the Pfäfers dove in their coats of arms.
Text / Source: Pfäfers Monastery Church, Kirchweg 1, 7312 Pfäfers
pfaefers.ch/kirchen/10243

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Paul

June 23, 2025

Description of the Baroque Monastery Church of the Assumption of Mary, Pfäfers
Sources mention a magnificent new building dating back to 870 (the former monastery church of the Benedictine monastery of St. Mary), which was probably destroyed by a major fire around 1362. The current Baroque monastery church was built at the end of the 17th century, after a fire destroyed the old Gothic monastery complex, which stood at the entrance to the village. Construction began in 1672, and the shell of the new church was begun in 1688 by the master builders Ulrich and Peter Lang of Sargans, according to the plans of the Vorarlberg architect Hans Georg Kuen, and completed in 1693. Stone from the ruined Wartenstein Castle was used as building material.
The high altar, designed by Franz Bislin, was completed in 1701. The marble columns were quarried below the construction site in Pfäfers, near the so-called Klosteregg. The columns, as well as the marble floor slabs and altar steps, were ground and polished by the girls of Pfäfers and Ragaz.
The paintings inside the church were mostly created by the Ticino painter F.A. Giorgoli. During the renovation in 1865, most of the paintings were painted over by Franz Bertle. In 1932, the paintings painted over by Bertle were removed and the original condition restored.
The psalm choir contains one of the oldest playable organs in Switzerland. It was built in 1693/1694 by the organ builder Johann Matthäus Abbrederis (1652–c. 1725), Rankweil.
Text / Source: Pfäfers Monastery Church, Kirchweg 1, 7312 Pfäfers
pfaefers.ch/kirchen/10243

Translated by Google •

Anette

April 27, 2023

Pfäfers Abbey was a Benedictine abbey. It was founded back in the 8th century and has undergone many changes over time. It has had a Baroque appearance since the 17th century and since 1845 it has housed the St. Pirminsberg cantonal psychiatric clinic.

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Elevation 840 m

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Sunday 28 December

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Max wind speed: 1.0 km/h

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Location: Pfäfers, Sarganserland, St. Gallen, Eastern Switzerland, Switzerland

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Pfäfers Monastery and Baroque Abbey Church of the Assumption of Mary

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