Frienisberg Abbey

In 1131 Count Udelhard of Saugern granted his land at Frienisberg to the Cistercian Lützel Abbey.

The new abbey remained small and struggled until the first half of the 13th century, when a number of donations allowed it to expand.

Finally it controlled the patronage and the right to appoint parish priests in Rapperswil, Seedorf, Nieder-Lyss, Bargen, Schüpfen and Grossaffoltern.

[2] In 1386, the Abbey tied itself closely to Bern, when it accepted Bernese citizenship for its monks and farmers.

The former convent building was converted into a hospital in 1533 and it housed the local Bernese bailiff until 1798.