Chapels and churches in Disentis

Just above the village center of Disentis is the Benedictine monastery with its baroque church, which can be seen from afar. But the chapels and churches in the districts are also well worth seeing and a visit to these places of worship can easily be combined with a hike. We start the hike at Disentis train station towards the village church

Disentis Parish Church, John the Baptist (open daily)

The first documented mention goes back to the year 1261. The carved wooden Gothic winged altar from 1489 by Ivo Striegel is particularly worth seeing. During the French invasion on May 6, 1799, the church interior and the bells were destroyed, but were restored shortly afterwards.

Church of Maria Immaculata, Acletta (open daily)

Perched on a hill and built in 1635, this church is a jewel of Baroque architecture. The altarpiece by the master Francesco Nuvolone, which was created in Milan in 1655, is famous. There are two bells in the tower that are still rung by hand today.

Church of St. Sebastian and St. Rochus, Segnas (open daily)

The village of Segnas probably received its first chapel in the 9th century. After 30 people died of the plague in Segnas around 1638, the church was dedicated to the two plague saints Rochus and Sebastian. The right side altar contains the oldest picture in the church, painted by Hans Greutter, who left behind a number of works in many places of worship.

Chapel of St. James, Cuoz (key: Meinrad Deflorin, Tel. 081 947 59 54)

This small chapel is located on the Way of St. James through the Surselva and invites hikers to inner contemplation. It was built around 1600 and the altarpiece shows the Madonna with the baby Jesus, which probably comes from the workshop of the painter Hans Greutter.

Church of St. Agatha/Sontga Gada, Disentis In summer the side entrance is open daily; in winter the key is available at the Disentis train station ticket counter.

This church, built around the year 1100, is located on the old Roman route over the Lukmanier Pass and is dedicated to St. Dedicated to Agatha, the patron saint of hikers. A fire destroyed most of the church in 1387 and it was not until 1420 that Abbot Peter von Pontaningen had it rebuilt. The frescoes inside, which were created between 1430 and 1460, are striking.

Church of St. Placidus, Disentis (open daily)

Placidus is the second Disentis saint. According to legend, he was murdered around the year 720. On the altarpiece you can see Saint Placidus holding his head in his hands. To the left and right of the entrance, paintings show the beheading of Placidus and the punishment of God. In 1458 an avalanche destroyed the building and in the same year the church was rebuilt and provided with an avalanche wedge

Monastery church, Disentis (open daily)

The first church was built in 804 and was destroyed by an avalanche in 1459. On May 6, 1799, the French set fire to the monastery and church. Valuable art treasures and the monastery's library were destroyed. Half a century passed before the village recovered from this shock. The paintings on the church vault are the work of Fritz Kunz (1868-1947). Of the main altar by Johann Ritz von Selingen (1666-1729), the Placidus altar, to the right of the choir entrance, and the Benedict altar, to the left of the choir entrance, have been preserved.

Finish the hike with a simple and tasty meal at the Stiva Sogn Placi in the monastery.

We start the hike in a westerly direction to the village church, and we stay on the Quartierstrasse up to the main road. We cross this and continue our way in a straight direction on another district road, which leads us to the valley station of the mountain railway. We walk past this building on the left, briefly cross the access road to Acletta, but after a few steps we branch straight ahead onto another low-traffic district road. As soon as we reach the access road again, we find the signpost on the right to a short stretch of hiking trail to the chapel. We stay on the paved road that makes a strong turn to the left after the chapel. We follow this road to its end. Afterwards we continue on a road towards Segnas, we find appropriate signposts. It goes up, along a small meadow stream and over the Segnas Bach.We can see the church from afar. Now the way back begins, straight down through the village and on to the hamlet of Buretsch. Here we find the turnoff to the left to Cuoz. After a small valley we arrived at the chapel Cuoz. We stay on the way down to the main road, which we follow for about 200 meters. At the sports centre we cross the main road and keep right to Cuflons and Mompe Medel. Follow the signposts. In Sontga Gade we take the road back to the village where we pass the wool kiln again. We now walk past the village church and the train station in the direction of Cavardiras. After crossing under the railway line, we can turn left after 100 meters onto a hiking trail. So we get back to the main road and we see the church of St. Placidus just to the right in front of us. On the main road we walk the last 200 meters to the monastery and down stairs to the train station.