Centuries Captured in Sketches - the Plans of the Müstair Abbey

The Abbey of Saint John in the Val Müstair is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the largest and best-preserved cycle of frescoes from the early Middle Ages and is overlooked by the oldest residential and defensive tower in the Alpine region; the Plantaturm.

But enough of the superlatives. The abbey not only comprises a culturally and historically exceptional architectural ensemble but also represents a confluence of different eras: approximately 1200 years have left their mark here in the most diverse of forms. Thus, the abbey’s history does not present itself as a unified whole but rather in a multi-layered, complex form.

Hence the importance of seemingly boring things in the abbey: drawing up plans and accurately recording archaeological finds and findings. It is only thanks to these documents that the history and the research history of the abbey can be traced. And there are plenty of these plans: roughly 260 sketches and plans were drawn up from the Archaeologiccal Service Graubünden between 1985 and 2017. The documents – which have now also been digitised – can be viewed at the Archaeological Service Graubünden’s offices and here on Porta Cultura.