Rüeggisberg Abbey (Ruin)

Rüeggisberg Monastery is a former Cluniac priory in the municipality of Rüeggisberg, Canton Bern, Switzerland.

Following a donation by Lütold von Rümligen (1015-1048), the monks Cono and Ulrich built the first cells around 1072. Soon after 1100, construction began on the Romanesque church, which was completed around 1175. The northern transept and parts of the crossing are still preserved.

In the Middle Ages, the priory was one of the most important monastic buildings in Switzerland and an important stop on the Way of St. James. However, it fell into disrepair in the late Middle Ages and was incorporated into the newly established collegiate church of Bern Minster in 1484. The monastery church was finally closed in 1541 after the introduction of the Reformation. The monastery subsequently served as a quarry and partly as a barn.

From 1938 to 1947, archaeological excavations uncovered the old foundations. A small museum next to the rectory now provides information about this.