Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Sunken Monastery of Menzingen
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Near Menzingen in the Swiss canton of Zug, a monastery once stood before suddenly disappearing into the earth without leaving a trace. Yet its presence was not entirely forgotten. From time to time, the faint ringing of its hour bell could still be heard, calling the faithful to prayer as though the vanished religious community continued its devotions beneath the ground. The mysterious sound eventually drew the attention of a simple farmhand from Menzingen, who heard the bell and climbed the hill to investigate.
There, the farmhand discovered a brightly shining, square marble cross lying on the ground. When he reverently touched it, a magnificent monastery suddenly appeared before him, complete with two imposing bell towers. A pale monk emerged through a narrow gate and beckoned him inside. The farmhand followed him through a broad colonnade into a tall, dimly lit church, where a black curtain concealed the chancel. When the monk touched its hem, the curtain slowly rose, revealing richly decorated choir stalls occupied by sleeping monks. On a raised seat sat the abbot, wearing a gleaming mitre. The monk led the bewildered farmhand toward him.
The elderly abbot opened his eyes and asked in a dark, melancholy voice, “What time is it outside?” Thinking that he was expected to answer, the farmhand quickly replied that it was half past four. Immediately, a wild storm swept through the church. The monastery vanished, and the farmhand found himself sitting in a daze upon a large stone. According to the legend, had he remained silent instead of answering the abbot’s question, he would have become a rich man. The mysterious encounter thus offered a fleeting glimpse of the vanished monastery and the fortune that might have been his.
Sources
“Das verschwundene Kloster.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz (Zug). Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/kloster_verschwunden.html