Capuchin Friary, Rapperswil
Encyclopedia
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
friary located in 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...
in the Canton of St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
, 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....
.
Geography
The monastery is situated to the west of the city of Rapperswil, below the Lindenhof of Rapperswil CastleRapperswil Castle
Rapperswil Castle is a castle in the city of Rapperswil. It is located on the eastern shore of the Lake Zurich and belongs to the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland...
on the shore 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 ....
on a peninsula called the Endingerhorn.
History
The friary was established in 1606, consisting originally of only four patres (priests) and three brothers (friars), as a Roman Catholic counterpart to the centre of the ReformationReformation in Switzerland
The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate and population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matters in Zürich and spread to several other cantons of the Old Swiss...
in 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...
. The monastic buildings were built by the citizens of Rapperswil, and belong to the locality of Rapperswil, while Endingen - the site of the buildings - belongs to 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...
. The friary was dedicated on September 23, 1607, by bishop Johannes V Flugi von Aspermont and is still in use. In 1662 the buildings were fortified: a small fort was built at Endingerhorn, and the monastery became part of the town walls as a fortified tower to the west of the city of Rapperswil.
Sights
The friary is renowned for its location by the lake on a rocky peninsulaRapperswil Peninsula
Rapperswil Peninsula is a peninsula located in Rapperswil on the northeastern Lake Zürich shore in Switzerland. On the northwest, Kempratnerbucht is situated, on the south Seedamm respectively Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden is linking both shores of the lake respectively Obersee .Kapuzinerkloster...
. It overlooks Lake Zurich
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 ....
in the Kempratner Bucht ("Bay of Kempraten
Kempraten
Kempraten-Lenggis is a village within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona, Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It is one of the most important archeological sites in the canton of St...
"). The rose gardens and the Antoniusgrotte, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua or Anthony of Lisbon, O.F.M., was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. Though he died in Padua, Italy, he was born to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, which is where he was raised...
, attract pilgrims. The lakeside location of its church is also popular for weddings. The Einsiedlerhaus is in origin the medieval 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 of 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...
, whence the name, and is situated at the former late 10th century ferry gate to the islands of Lützelau
Lützelau
Lützelau is an island located, with the neighbouring island of Ufenau, in Lake Zürich in Switzerland between Rapperswil and Freienbach .- Geography :...
and Ufenau
Ufenau
Ufenau is an island located, with the neighbouring island of Lützelau, in Lake Zürich in Switzerland between Freienbach and Rapperswil .- Geography :...
.
Activities
In November 1992 the monastery opened its doors for guests, both men and women, to participate for at least one week with the monastic community. In addition, the Swiss chapter of the order allowed the community to seek new forms of prayer and liturgy. As of today, nine brothersBrother (Catholic)
A religious brother is a member of a Roman Catholic religious order who commits himself to following Christ in consecrated life of the church by the vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. A layman , he usually lives in a religious community and works in a ministry that suits his talents and gifts...
and two nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s (Orders of Baldegg and Menzingen) are living in the monastery.