Heiligkreuz Abbey - Cham, Switzerland

The quaint town of Cham is located on the north shore of Lake Zug in Switzerland. The city's name, Cham, translates as village and refers to a large Celtic settlement on the shore of Lake Zug. The first mention of the town (as Chama) occurred on 16 April 858 when King Louis the German gave the town to his daughter, Hildegard, the abbess of the  Fraumuenster Abbey in Zuerich. The town was administered by a variety of nobles and bailiffs over the following centuries. Just a few miles north of Cham is the Heiligenkreuz Abbey which roots go back to 1830 as a school for girls taught by Benedictine sisters. On the Abbeys ground was a small chapel which has been used for families and travelers to find peace during their trip from Cham or Zug. In 1862 the sisters expanded and built the Heiligkreuz Abbey which still has been used as a school. In 1953 after a mission to Yenki, Korea, the emerging of the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters in Pusan has begun. Nowadays, the sisters give spiritual guidance. You can find a beautiful herbal garden created after Hildegard von Bingen's infinite wisdom. There is a souvenir shop where you can buy goods handcrafted by the sisters such as candles, clothing, tea and herbal medicine.