Ernetschwil: Church History and Hilly Landscape

Ernetschwil lies on the southern slope of Ricken Pass in the See-Gaster electoral district of the canton of St. Gallen. The village is nestled between hills and forests and is strongly shaped by agriculture; in some places, views extend to the Glarus Alps, large parts of the Linth Plain, and the upper Lake Zurich. When planning your trip, you can consider the village and landscape as two distinct themes.

Church, Architecture, and Local History

The neoclassical Church of St. Karl Borromäus dates from 1846 and has a tall choir-roof tower. It adds a distinctive feature to Ernetschwil’s farming-shaped silhouette. Neoclassicism refers to an architectural style inspired by ancient forms; choir-roof tower describes the position of the tower above the choir. This distinguishes the architectural style from a specific building element. The church is also associated with Cardinal Charles Borromeo: in 1570, he rode through Ernetschwil on his pilgrimage. The idea that this passage prompted the church’s dedication is one possible interpretation. In the church precinct, the church and rectory stand side by side on an east-west axis. The two-storey rectory has a hipped roof and cross gables on both long sides. Along with the church and rectory, the cheese dairy building is also counted among the buildings of particular architectural and historical significance.

A document from the Abbey of St. Gall dating from 885 mentions Ernetschwil as the first village in what is now the municipality of Gommiswald. By the end of the 18th century, the village comprised twelve houses, a village fountain, and the St. Anna Chapel. The former municipality of Ernetschwil merged with Rieden to form the municipality of Gommiswald on 1 January 2013. The dates represent different aspects of local history: 885 for the first written mention, the end of the 18th century for a description of the settlement, 1846 for the church, and 2013 for the municipal reorganisation. Historically, several inns offered pilgrims travelling over the Ricken to Einsiedeln accommodation and meals.

Hilly Landscape and Watercourses

In the area just south of Ernetschwil, the Ernetschwilerbach and a tributary have cut deep into terraces formed during the Ice Age. These consist of moraines, gravel, and swamp and still-water deposits over a molasse bedrock. In the Böllenbergtobel, steep sections of the stream feature small waterfalls and pools with eroded potholes. In 2006, 67.3 percent of the area of the former municipality of Ernetschwil was used for agriculture and 20.2 percent was forest. These area figures, which refer to a specific point in time, give a concrete historical measure of the area’s general agricultural character.

Hike to Berg Sion Monastery

The easy hike from Berg Sion Monastery down to Ernetschwil is 2.7 kilometres long and takes 45 minutes. Along the way, it passes the Chapel of Felix and Regula, which houses statues of the two saints. For planning your time, the distance and duration provide a specific guide, while the easy rating indicates the level of difficulty. The hike is therefore a clearly defined way to combine a visit to Ernetschwil with a visit to Berg Sion Monastery.

Discover more destinations: Rapperswil-Jona, Amden, Uznach, Benken, Goldingen, Gommiswald, Eschenbach, Schänis

Go to the higher-level travel overview: See-Gaster.