Fahr Abbey

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Fahr Abbey as seen from the west, Unterengstringen in the background (April 2010)
St. Anna chapel
View of the abbey

Fahr Abbey, (Swiss German: Kloster Fahr) is a Benedictine monastery of nuns located in the Swiss municipality of Würenlos in the Canton of Aargau. Located in different cantons, Einsiedeln Abbey and Fahr Abbey form a double monastery, ruled by the Abbot of Einsiedeln. They are perhaps the only such community still to exist.[1]

Geographical and administratively special situation

The monastery historically was located in an exclave of the Canton of Aargau within the municipality of Unterengstringen in the canton of Zürich in the Limmat Valley. The nuns' abbey had not been part of a municipality, although some administrative tasks have been carried out by the Würenlos authorities since the 19th century and the nuns were always allowed to fulfill their political rights (voting, etc.) in Würenlos. Since 1st January 2008 it has been a part of Würenlos. The monastery has its own postal code, 8109 Kloster Fahr.

History

The abbey is first mentioned in AD 1130 as Vare (an old term used for ferry). The lands were donated by the Barons of Regensberg. On 22 January 1130 Baron Lütold (either II or III) of Regensberg and his wife Judenta handed over lands and estates on the shore of the Limmat River around Weiningen and Unterengstringen-Oberengstringen to Einsiedeln Abbey to establish a Benedictine monastery for nuns. The Chapel of St. Nicholas already stood on the land. This may have been connected with the death of Lütold I in 1088 while engaged in battle against the forces of the Abbey of Einseiedeln. The new monastery was dedicated to Our Lady.

From the very beginning, the abbey has been ruled by the Abbot of Einsiedeln; the nuns are governed in their daily life by a prioress appointed by the abbot. The bailiwick rights were first hold by the Regensberg family, after 1306 by the citizens of the municipality of Zürich, and from 1434 to 1798 by the Meyer von Knonau family.

In addition to the medieval St. Nikolaus-Kapelle (Saint Nicholas chapel), built around 10th century AD and now called the St. Anna-Kapelle, and the late medieval church of the monastery, the parish church of Weiningen was subordinated to the monastery. Around 1530 the monastery was suppressed during the Reformation in Switzerland, but it was reopened in 1576.

An era of prosperity during the 17th century led to a brisk program of construction: In 1678 the tavern Zu den zwei Raben ("Two Ravens", the emblem of Einsiedeln Abbey) was built;, from 1685 to 1696 the cloister and church tower were renovated;, in 1703/04 a new refectory was designed by Johann Moosbrugger; and a house for the chaplain was erected in 1730/34; from 1743 to 1746 the monastery's church was decorated with frescoes by the Torricelli Brothers.

In dissolving the old County (Grafschaft) of Baden in 1803, the Cantons of Zurich and Aargau established an exclave of Aargau within the canton of Zürich, for the former lands of the abbey. The Canton of Aargau chose in 1841 to close all monasteries within the canton of Aargau, but this was reversed in 1843 for women's monasteries. The negotiations between Einsiedeln Abbey and the Canton of Aargau regarding assets and authority were completed nearly 90 years later, in 1932. At that point Aargau granted full autonomy to the monastic community. On 1 February 1944, the abbey established a Bäuerinnenschule, i.e. an agricultural school for women.

During World War II, from November 1943 to February 1944, 11 female Jewish refugees lived secretly in the cloister; unfortunately they had to leave for an unknown destination when the school was opened.[2]

On 1 January 2008, the monastery was incorporated into the municipality of Würenlos, happening over a century after the municipality's initial attempts to absorb the 1.48-hectare area of the monastery.[3]

On 22 January 2009, the Abbot of Einsiedeln, Dom Martin Werlen, O.S.B., presented the nuns a new community seal, thereby indicating that the nuns were in full control of the business affairs of their monastery.[4]

Abbey, activities and points of interest

Formerly part of the Bishopric of Constance, the abbey has been part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Basel since 1828. .

As of April 2010, there were 26 nuns (7 in 1873, 33 in 2000) living at the abbey. Silja Walter (Sister Maria Hedwig, O.S.B.) (1919–2011), a renowned novelist, was the most prominent member of the community.[5]

The abbey is still renowned for its agricultural school for women (Bäuerinnenschule) and the wine estate managed by the nuns, their students and around 30 external employees.

Products made by the abbey are liquors and honey, and a variety of other agricultural products among them fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc. The monastic community sells its products in a shop (from Monday to Saturday) situated in the abbey and provides a restaurant (from Wednesday to Sunday) in the former pilgrim's hostel, built in 1678 AD. The Chapel of St. Anna is a popular site for weddings.

For tourists, Fahr Abbey is a highlight in the Limmat Valley and a popular stop for hikers and bikers along the Limmat River. It is listed as a Swiss heritage sites of national significance.[6]

Gallery

  • Church and its wall painting

  • Altar in the church

  • Fresco on the church ceiling

  • Cemetery and cemetery chapel

  • Tavern zu den zwei Raben

  • Inn sign showing the two ravens of Einsiedeln Abbey

  • A sweet food made of honey and herbs, sold in the abbey shop

  • Ferry to the abbey (in service only on Sundays)

References

The agricultural school in the monastery grounds, but legally situated in the Canton of Zürich
  1. ↑ "Doppelkloster". Kloster Fahr. Retrieved 17 November 2012. (German)
  2. ↑ Tages-Anzeiger online (April 4, 2010): Das Kloster Fahr nahm jüdische Frauen auf
  3. ↑ Tages-Anzeiger online (December 8, 2006): Kloster Fahr wird eingemeindet
  4. ↑ Orden online (January 24, 2009): Kloster Fahr erhält Siegelrecht zurück
  5. ↑ Tages-Anzeiger (January 31, 2011): Silja Walter ist tot (German)
  6. ↑ Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance

Literature

External links

Media related to Fahr Abbey at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 47°24′30.42″N 8°26′21.48″E / 47.4084500°N 8.4393000°E / 47.4084500; 8.4393000

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