Einsiedeln - Benedictine Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln

The Benedictine Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln, built by the lay brother Kaspar Moosbrugger (1656-1723) of Au in the Bregenzerwald, is the finest example of Vorarlberg architecture in Switzerland. The conventual buildings, laid out in a regular square around four courtyards, cover an area of 34,000 sq. m/40,664 sq. yd. The twin-towered church (1719-35) is a sumptuous Baroque building, with ceiling frescoes by the Asam brothers of Bavaria (the largest fresco in the country), and a wrought-iron choir screen (1684), designed to give the effect of perspective. The Gnadenkapelle (Chapel of Grace), rebuilt in 1815-17 in Neo-classical style after its destruction by the French in 1798, contains the carved wooden figure of the "Black Virgin" (15th C.)