World Heritage Days 2024: Convent St. John in Müstair

09. June 2024

St. John's convent is dedicating this year's World Heritage Day to ‘Herod's Banquet’, a special object of the World Heritage properties. This is the most famous depiction of the Romanesque frescoes in the monastery church. The dancing Salome depicted upside down is an iconic image that has attracted international attention. It tells the story of John the Baptist, who is beheaded as a result of Salome's exciting dance and thus becomes a martyr. The mural painting is located in the lower register of the centre apse and has not been visible to the public for several years due to restoration work. Last year, the restoration work in the lower register of the centre apse was completed - a reason to celebrate this important milestone on World Heritage Day and make the Salome accessible to the public for this one day. Visitors will have the opportunity to take a guided tour to see the colourful frescoes on the ground floor of the building up close and learn interesting background information about the Salome and the work of the restorers.

The exhibition REPARAR E REÜTILISAR - Repair and Reuse - can also be viewed in the refectory on World Heritage Day.  Under the aspect of sustainability, the Museum Kloster St. Johann is presenting its own objects that have been used for centuries and have been repeatedly repaired or converted for other purposes. These include Sister Albertina Blaas' apron, which has been mended several times.

Special guided tours (in German):

• 13:30-15:00 : Church and museum
• 14:00-14:30 : Herod's banquet
• 14:30-15:20 : Chapel of the Holy Cross
• 14:45-15:15:  Herod's banquet
• 15:30-16:30 : Archaeological archive
• 16:30-17:00 : Herod's banquet
• 17:30-18:00 : Prayer of the Sisters

The tours and lectures offered are free of charge. Registration via visit-museum@muestair.ch or on the day of the event is required at the monastery shop. The number of participants for the guided tours is limited.