Kloster Seedorf, Benedictine abbey in Seedorf, Switzerland

Kloster Seedorf is a Benedictine women's community housed in a building with a church constructed between 1695 and 1699. The sanctuary combines a wall-pillar structure with a domed central choir and represents an important architectural example of that era.

The Lazarite house in Seedorf was built in 1197, though the exact founding date of the monastery is unknown and probably falls in the first half of the 13th century. The men's house was suppressed in 1413, and after many nuns died of the plague in 1518 the women's convent died out around 1526. In 1559 nuns from Claro in Ticino established the Benedictine abbey, which was placed under Einsiedeln's spiritual care from 1642.

The monastery's name comes from the Order of Saint Lazarus, which ran a hospice here for lepers; the sisters' house and the brothers' house formed a double monastery. The high altar painting of 1598 by the Antwerp-born Denys Calvaert shows the raising of Lazarus, with Martha and Mary, the abbot and abbess, and the donor Jakob Arnold. The abbey celebrated its 450th anniversary in 2009.

The abbey takes in guests, and the eleven sisters support themselves through handicrafts, farming and hospitality. The baroque church, consecrated in 1700, is the focal point for visitors; the monastery lies in Seedorf in the canton of Uri, and the community celebrated its 450th anniversary in 2009.

This is the only women's monastery in Canton Uri, where seven sisters live by the Rule of Saint Benedict. Such a small contemplative community is rare in the Alpine region today.