Former St. Urban's Abbey, Cistercian monastery in Pfaffnau, Switzerland

Former St. Urban's Abbey is a monastery complex with stone buildings from different periods, their facades displaying Baroque features and elaborate ornamentation. The structures are arranged around courtyards and gardens, forming an enclosed complex that reflects monastic life.

The complex was founded in 1194 when the Freiherren of Langenstein donated land to the community. Over the centuries, the monastery became a major landowner across the valleys of the region.

The abbey's name comes from Saint Urban, and the church keeps the 10th-century Ulrich chasuble, a vestment relic that drew pilgrims after Abbot Ulrich Glutz built a baroque chapel for it in 1690. The Gottfried Keller Foundation has returned works to the site, including the choir stalls, and parts of the abbey now host concerts and tours.

The grounds today function as a psychiatric center and can be visited during specified times; check ahead about visiting hours. The location is accessible by public transport and offers parking for visitors.

In the 13th century the monks ran a brick factory whose decorated moulded bricks, used for door frames, arches and cornices, were exported; the operation grew into the Roggwil brickworks, still in business today. Since 1991 Richard Bucher has run a hand-made brick workshop in the former monastery.