Once a common path for young Catholics, entering a monastery has become rare in Switzerland. Today, only about 200 monks and nuns live in Benedictine communities – half as many as 20 years ago. Yet monastic life, with roots in the early Middle Ages, continues to adapt to social, political and spiritual change.

A new study sheds light on Benedictine life in Switzerland since 1950. From 2019 to 2023, historians Esther Vorburger-Bossart and Ivo Berther interviewed 65 monks and nuns from 21 monasteries across Switzerland as part of the project “Life Stories of Benedictine Nuns and Monks”, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The findings are presented in two books:

• Wann ist ein Mönch ein Mönch? (When is a Monk a Monk?) by Ivo Berther (2024)
• Ein gehorsames Leben (An Obedient Life) by Esther Vorburger-Bossart (2025)

Until now, the history of religious orders has largely focused on institutions rather than individuals.  Monastery archives contain little about the everyday lives and mindsets of monks and nuns. Through interviews, Vorburger-Bossart and Berther have preserved a generation’s lived experience at a time when monastic life in this form is slowly disappearing.

Tradition under pressure

The interviews reveal how deeply faith, work and identity intertwine in monastic life. For many women, entering a convent in the mid-20th century meant moving directly from family authority to convent hierarchy, often without access to higher education or news from the outside world. Today, some communities are reinventing themselves – such as the Benedictine convent in Fahr, which has transformed a former school into an intergenerational housing project called erfahrbar (“experiential”).

Monks, too, face new challenges. Smaller communities mean heavier workloads, and some report burnout or depression. “One in four of the monks surveyed has already suffered from burnout or depression,” says Berther. His interpretation: the image of masculinity, showing strength and defining oneself through one's profession, does not only apply to secular men. Monks also find it difficult to set boundaries when they are overworked. “Younger monks, who entered the monastery primarily for religious reasons and wanted to focus on spiritual life,” Berther explains, now increasingly seek "a better balance between prayer and work.”

Preserving voices, inspiring research

The project breaks new ground by exploring Benedictine identity in Switzerland for the first time. Its insights lay the foundation for future research, particularly on the recent history of women’s religious communities. As Vorburger-Bossart notes, much remains to be explored – from the forms of spirituality practised in these communities to their economic realities. How did monasteries sustain themselves financially? What were the working conditions like when several lay employees were needed to replace one working sister? These questions open new avenues for understanding how monastic communities have navigated change and continuity over time. As Vorburger-Bossart concludes, “There is still a lot to be done.”

This is an abbreviated version of an article published in the German-language magazine cogito.