Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair


World Heritage Identification Number: 269

World Heritage since: 1983

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇨🇭 Switzerland

Continent: Europe

UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America

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The Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair: A Treasure Trove of Carolingian Art

The Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair, nestled within the picturesque Val Müstair in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, stands as a testament to the rich cultural and artistic legacy of the Carolingian period. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, this remarkable monastery boasts some of Switzerland's most significant collections of figurative murals, dating back to approximately A.D. 800.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The Convent of Müstair, which stands in a valley in the Grisons, is a good example of Christian monastic renovation during the Carolingian period. It has Switzerland's greatest series of figurative murals, painted c. A.D. 800, along with Romanesque frescoes and stuccoes.

Encyclopedia Record: Saint John Abbey, Müstair

The Abbey of Saint John is an early medieval Benedictine monastery in the Swiss municipality of Val Müstair, in the Canton of Graubünden. By reason of its exceptionally well-preserved heritage of Carolingian art, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 2.036 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition

Coordinates: 46.62945 , 10.44765

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Image of Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair

© Wladyslaw, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Country Information: Switzerland

Flag of Switzerland

Official Name: Swiss Confederation

Capital: Bern

Continent: Europe

Population (2024): 9,034,102

Population (2023): 8,888,093

Population (2022): 8,777,088

Land Area: 39,510 sq km

Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Saint John Abbey, Müstair, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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