Rheinau Abbey, Benedictine monastery on Rhine River island in Rheinau, Switzerland

Rheinau Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on a Rhine island in Rheinau, Canton of Zurich. Its baroque church, consecrated in 1710, has a twin-tower front with dark onion domes, red and gold trim and black clock faces. White-walled wings with red-brown tiled roofs and rows of small windows surround courtyards; a lower wing with a hipped roof and arched entrance stands in front.

Rheinau Abbey was founded around 778 by Duke Wolfhard, son of Ruthard and father-in-law of Louis the Pious. After a re-foundation with monks from St. Gallen and Reichenau, Abbot Wolfen obtained the right of free abbatial election around 858. In 1126 Count Rudolf of Lenzburg founded the adjoining settlement, and in 1529 the Reformation briefly forced the monks out until the abbey was restored in 1532.

The baroque church displays ornate stucco work and frescoes created by Ticino artist Francesco Antonio Giorgioli across its interior surfaces. Walking through the space reveals these decorative details at close range.

The complex now houses a music center, meditation spaces, a domestic science school, and a restaurant with event facilities. Different areas are typically accessible during set hours, so checking current availability beforehand is helpful.

The abbey church, consecrated in 1710, was built to plans by Caspar Moosbrugger, with Franz Beer also working on it. Its twin-tower front and baroque interior belong to the rebuilding under Abbot Gerold II Zurlauben, completed by 1744.