Romanesque Day 2026

On Romanesque Day on October 11, 2026, there will be a special guided tour: "Layers of Color in Müstair Abbey" with Linda Christen in the Ulrich Chapel and the Norpertskeller.

In the St. Johann monastery in Müstair, a surprisingly lively universe of images unfolds behind the walls of the cloister. While the church's famous Carolingian frescoes are the foundation of the building's fame, the early Romanesque monastery complex, its ceremonial hall and the two-storey chapel, reveal an equally fascinating, often overlooked world of wall painting.

In the residence, built around 1035, painting and stucco merge into a dense symbolic fabric. Meandering bands run precisely across the walls and vaults, while in the Ulrich Chapel, fantastic sea creatures, fish and hybrid creatures depict the mysterious "sea of glass" between earth and sky. The figures are both playful and deeply symbolic.

The pictures in the Norpert Hall tell an even more direct story. Here, a Romanesque cycle from the life of Christ unfolds without rigid frames, like a continuous stream of scenes. Between meals and everyday monastic life, the nuns were surrounded by images that not only showed faith, but also told it and made it tangible.

The free guided tour takes place at 2 p.m., meeting point is in front of the monastery store la butia, if demand is high there will be another guided tour at 4 p.m.

Registration is essential due to the limited number of participants. Please register at visit-museum@muestair.ch, tel. 081 851 6189 or directly at the monastery store.