Monastery of Saint Lucius

(LUZI)

Located in Chur, Switzerland. The Church of St. Lucius was built over the grave of this saint, whose relics were preserved in it until the sixteenth century. Originally the church was the cathedral. St. Valentinian enlarged it in the first half of the sixth century and built the crypt which is still in existence. In the ninth century a new cathedral was built by Bishop Tello in a former Roman fortress and St. Luzi was temporarily a branch of the Benedictine Abbey of Pfäfer. About 1140 it became a Premonstratensian abbey. At the time of the schism of the sixteenth century Theodore Schlegel, Abbot of St. Luzi, was especially energetic and skillful in defending the Catholic Faith. He was executed by the Protestants after terrible torture on 23 January, 1529. The monks were driven out and the monastery remained empty for a hundred years, the relics of St. Lucius being taken to the cathedral. Community life was continued at Bendern in Liechtenstein. In 1624 the monastery was restored and continued to exist until the beginning of the nineteenth century. By the decision of the Imperial Delegates at Ratisbon the possessions of the monastery in Liechtenstein and Vorarlberg were given in 1802 to the Prince of Orange. Consequently the monastery had no further means of existence. In 1806, therefore, the abbot and community transferred the monastery and all its rights to the episcopal seminary; this transfer was confirmed in the same year by Pius VII. The seminary was transferred to the former monastery, where it still exists; it has four courses of theology and seven professors.