Check access arrangements on the church’s website before travelling.
Saint-Maurice
Relics of Saint Maurice and the martyrs of the Theban Legion
The oldest continuously active monastery in the West, founded in 515 over the place of martyrdom of the soldiers of the Theban Legion († c. 302). The treasury is open to visitors.
- Where
- Abbey of Saint-Maurice d’Agaune
- Address
- Avenue d’Agaune 15, 1890 Saint-Maurice · on the map
- Nearest church
- Orthodox Chapel of Saint Theodore and Saint Amatus, Rue du Grand-Pont 8, 1950 Sion; Church of Saint Barbara, Rue des Communaux 12, 1800 Vevey
Bad Zurzach
Tomb of Saint Verena of Zurzach
Saint Verena (4th c.), a native of Egyptian Thebes, by tradition followed the Theban Legion and lived as a hermit serving the sick. Her tomb is in the crypt of the Verenamünster, which also keeps a 14th-century reliquary with her relics. The Coptic Church venerates her as one of its own: Swiss Copts come here on pilgrimage every autumn. Feast: 1 September.
- Where
- St Verena’s Minster (Verenamünster)
- Address
- Verenamünster, 5330 Bad Zurzach · on the map
- Nearest church
- Romanian-speaking Parish of the Nativity of the Theotokos, Bruggerstrasse 142, 5400 Baden
Beatenberg (near Interlaken)
Cave of Saint Beatus above Lake Thun
By tradition Saint Beatus, the first preacher of Christ in the region, drove a dragon out of the cave above Lake Thun by invoking the Holy Trinity and lived there as a hermit until his death. His grave and a reconstruction of his cell are shown at the entrance; pilgrimages continued even after the Bernese authorities demolished the chapel and walled up the entrance in 1528.
- Where
- St Beatus Caves
- Address
- St. Beatus-Höhlen, 3800 Sundlauenen (Beatenberg) · on the map
- Access
- April to October
- Nearest church
- Holy Trinity Church, Postgasse 62, 3011 Bern
Disentis
Relics of Saints Placidus, Martyr, and Sigisbert of Disentis
The missionary monk Sigisbert, a disciple of Saint Columbanus, and the local-born Placidus, killed around 720 for defending the monastery, founded the abbey near the sources of the Rhine. The monastery grew up over their tomb around 700 and still stands; their relics are venerated in the abbey church. Feast: 11 July.
- Where
- Benedictine Abbey of Disentis
- Address
- Kloster Disentis, Via Claustra 1, 7180 Disentis/Mustér · on the map
Einsiedeln
Place of the Martyr Meinrad’s Ascetic Life at Einsiedeln
Saint Meinrad, a hermit, lived in a forest cell and was killed by robbers on 21 January 861. On the site of his cell Einsiedeln Abbey arose in the 9th century; the Chapel of Grace inside the abbey church marks the place of his ascetic struggle. One of the largest pilgrimage sites in Switzerland.
- Where
- Einsiedeln Abbey, Chapel of Grace
- Address
- Kloster Einsiedeln, 8840 Einsiedeln · on the map
- Nearest church
- Mission of Saint Theodosius of the Kiev Caves, Christkatholisches Pfarramt, Museggstrasse 15, 6004 Luzern
St. Gallen
Tombs of Saint Gall and Saint Othmar
The city and its famous abbey (UNESCO) grew up around the hermitage of Saint Gall († c. 646), a disciple of Saint Columbanus. The east crypt of the cathedral holds his grave and a reliquary with part of his skull; the west crypt holds the tomb of Saint Othmar († 759), the monastery’s first abbot.
- Where
- St. Gallen Cathedral (former abbey church)
- Address
- Klosterhof, 9000 St. Gallen · on the map
- Nearest church
- Parish of Saints Constantine and Helen of Eastern Switzerland, Feldlistrasse 18, 9000 St. Gallen
Solothurn
Relics of the Martyrs Ursus and Victor of Solothurn
Ursus and Victor, soldiers of the Theban Legion, were executed at Solothurn around 303 for refusing to sacrifice to idols. The cathedral is dedicated to them and keeps their relics; an ancient crypt (c. 1100) survives beneath the 18th-century building.
- Where
- Cathedral of Sts Ursus and Victor
- Address
- Kathedrale St. Urs und Viktor, 4500 Solothurn · on the map
- Nearest church
- Serbian Orthodox Community in Solothurn, Franziskanerkirche, Barfüssergasse 26, 4500 Solothurn
Zurich
Place of Martyrdom of Saints Felix and Regula
Felix and Regula, brother and sister who by tradition escaped the massacre of the Theban Legion, were beheaded for Christ around 300 on an island in the Limmat. The Wasserkirche was built on the place of execution: the stone of their martyrdom is preserved in the crypt, open to visitors. They are the patrons of Zurich; feast 11 September.
- Where
- Wasserkirche
- Address
- Limmatquai 31, 8001 Zürich · on the map
- Nearest church
- Church of the Protection of the Mother of God, Haldenbachstrasse 2, 8006 Zürich
