The procession celebrating the feast day of the convent's founders St Placidus and St Sigisbert
Giorgio von Arb
Inside the abbey
Giorgio von Arb
Divine office
Giorgio von Arb
Guerino Monn, kitchen hand (left), Father Jean-Marie Frey
Giorgio von Arb
Younger members of the congregation spend a week away in Maria-Rickenbach, canton Nidwalden
Giorgio von Arb
Father Bruno Rieder keeps an eye on students during an exam at the convent school
Girogio von Arb
Choir practice
Giorgio von Arb
Father Theo Theiler, biology teacher
Giorgio von Arb
Father Pirmin Gnädinger, maths teacher
Giorgio von Arb
Breakfast in the refectory
Giorgio von Arb
Brother Lukas Heim (left), Father Bruno Rieder and Brother Luci Cavegn
Giorgio von Arb
Convent elders
Giorgio von Arb
The Disentis convent in Surselva, canton Graubünden, is the oldest Benedictine abbey in Switzerland. Founded in the eighth century, it is home today to 29 monks and the focus of a new publication.
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Photographer Giorgio von Arb and journalist Erwin Koch observed the religious community to provide a complete and faithful portrait in “Ein Buch über die Welt” (“A book about the world”) that documents life within the monastery.
(Pictures: Giorgio von Arb)
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Ticino monastery opens doors to pay bills
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A feeling of deep calm enters a visitor’s soul arriving at the monastery of Bigorio, nestled on the slopes of the mountain of the same name near Lugano in southern Switzerland. The Capuchins have maintained this tiny discrete oasis since 1535, not long after the foundation of their order. For centuries Bigorio was a flourishing…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.