Welcome home

On Wednesday, 17 March 1875, the priest-monks had just celebrated the morning Mass, invoking the intercession of the saint of the day, Gertrude of Nivelles. They were aware that a difficult day lay ahead. The referendum among the Solothurn voters was set to decide their expulsion from the monastery. The bailiff was already standing at the gate, demanding that Abbot Carl Motschi and his monks leave the monastery immediately. Thus began an uncertain period of exile. Would the monks ever be allowed to return to Mariastein? They steadfastly held on to the name “Benedictine Monastery of Mariastein-Beinwil,” even while residing in Delle, France; Dürrnberg; Bregenz; and Altdorf.
Around 1950, a turning point became evident. Church-minded Solothurn residents brought the “Mariastein question” to the forefront. In 1970, the cantonal government submitted a proposal to parliament regarding the return of the monastery to the Benedictine monks. On 7 June of that year, eligible voters approved this proposal. On 21 June 1971, the then Landammann Willi Ritschard conducted the referendum.
Fifty years later, in 2021, and again in 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the monks commemorated these historical and political developments alongside their neighbors and a broader public. This book documents in text and images the numerous events of the commemorative year 2021/22.

ISBN: 978-3-905939-91-0

Everything in its place

In 2013, the Benedictine monks of Mariastein were faced with a choice: either to say goodbye to the monastery library because it had largely become unusable, or to dispose of ‘the hollow’ as the ultimate solution. Or to reorganise it completely. They chose the second option. Why? Reading provides access to books, and books accompany people on their journey to the world, to life, to God.

ISBN: 978-3-907437-03-2

We stand by the Monastery

50 years ago, on 3 February 1974, 20 men founded the association ‘Friends of Mariastein Abbey’. The story begins much earlier. In 1953, committed politicians raised the unresolved ‘Mariastein question’ after the dissolution of 1874. They formed a group of ‘friends’ and worked towards the constitutional restoration of the monastery until the referendum of 1970. Four years later, these men were co-founders of the association. Today, it has more than 2,000 members who support the Benedictine monastery and the Mariastein pilgrimage both ideally and financially, and thus form something like the ‘Landsgemeinde’ (people’s assembly) of Mariastein. This book is dedicated to this association, or rather to its members, reflects on its development and work, and looks ahead: how should the association, as an ‘extended arm in civil society’, continue and realign the heritage?

ISBN: 978-3-907437-06-3