Frauenthal Abbey, Cistercian monastery in Cham, Switzerland.

Frauenthal Abbey is a Cistercian monastery situated on an island formed by two branches of the Lorze River, surrounded by forests and meadows north of Cham. The complex contains 26 residential and functional buildings maintained by the nuns who continue living here.

The founding year 1231 is traditional; no charter survives, and the date first appears in the convent's Jahrzeitbuch of 1632. The origins lie in a beguine community at Hausen am Albis, linked to Kappel Abbey. Around or after 1235 Ulrich von Schnabelburg, his wife Agnes von Eschenbach and Count Ludwig von Frohburg gave the Lorze island to those beguines, and in 1245 the abbot of Frienisberg received the convent into the Cistercian order. In 1528 most nuns left during the Reformation; Zug administered the empty house until 1552, when it was resettled.

The abbey church, rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries, has a rococo interior with marble columns on the altar and religious paintings on the walls. The nuns follow the Rule of St. Benedict, and their daily worship and communal life take place in this space.

Visitors can explore the gardens where nuns grow vegetables for the kitchen and visit the monastery shop. Preparation is important since the location on an island means access may be limited at certain times.

The monastery is the oldest Swiss Cistercian community still operating at its original founding location. This continuity makes it a rare example of unbroken monastic tradition in Switzerland.