Abbey of Cistercian Nuns (Zisterzienserinnenabtei), Guesthouse
Location, Object
Abbey of Magdenau, Wolfertswil, municipality of Degersheim, Canton of Sankt Gallen. Abbey of Cistercian nuns; founded in the 13th c., expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries; restored 1970/1973. Guesthouse (Gästehaus), located in the north-eastern tract, built in the 17th c. and decorated under abbess Verena V. Müller (r. 1638–1661).
The second-largest cycle of applied emblems in Switzerland, and unique for its use of Masen’s Speculum imaginum (1650) as its main source.
Emblems (54)
Context
Vestibule on the 2nd floor with decorated ceiling and walls. Frieze between the trussed girders of the walls with painted emblems in irregular frames (nos. 1–53), some in poor condition and corrupted by later hands, others damaged due to later renovations and installations (nos. 22, 23A and 24A). The single extant emblem in the vestibule on the 1st floor (no. 54) appears to belong to the same cycle that may once have extended over both floors of the guesthouse, including many more emblems. Last restored 2014/15.
Authorship, Date
Unknown artist; dated 1656 (no. 1). The attribution to Kaspar Meglinger, who painted the emblems in Hergiswald (LU) in 1654, as first suggested by Gruber 1947, is unlikely.
Significance
Moral emblems, some also concerning the ideals of monastic life.
Source
Masen 1650 (nos. 1–7, 9–13, 16–21, 23, 26, 30–34, 36–42, 44, 46–48, 51 and 52; partly derived from Paradin 1557, Bargagli 1594, Zincgref 1619, Cats 1618 and 1627, and Imago primi saeculi 1640); Saavedra 1640 or later ed. (no. 28); Alciato 1621 (no. 29).
Literature
KF 1: 400–401; Gruber 1947; Graf 1974: 153f., 164; Vogler 1994; Anderes/Mathis 2003: 15–17; Kucharova 2026.
view from north.
north-eastern tract with guesthouse and gate.
view from west.
guesthouse, vestibule of 2nd floor,
view from north with emblems nos. 35–44.
guesthouse, vestibule of 2nd floor,
view from north-east with emblems nos. 42–46.
guesthouse, vestibule of 2nd floor,
view from north with emblems nos. 24–33.
guesthouse, vestibule of 2nd floor,
view from south with emblems nos. 1–4.
guesthouse, vestibule of 2nd floor,
view from north with emblems nos. 37–41.
guesthouse, vestibule of 2nd floor, west wall, emblems nos. 16–18.
Bees swarming around a beehive next to some rural buildings.
PRIVATI NIHIL HABET ILLA DOMUS [below:] ANNO 1656.
A bird in a house-shaped cage with a round perch.
AMISSA LÆTIOR LIBERTATE.
A lobster descending into the water.
RETROCEDENS ACCEDIT.
A concave burning-mirror reflecting the sun’s rays and kindling three fires.
UNIUS SPLENDOR ALTERIUS ARDOR.
Two men working outside and slaking lime.
EX FRIGORE FERVOR.
Eggs in a bowl of water; three are floating, two have sunk.
HAUD SIDIT INANE.
A bird attacking a smaller bird (decoy bird) in a cage.
FIT SPOLIANS SPOLIUM.
Two eagles with their two young in the nest looking towards the sun.
SEMPER AD PHOEBUM.
[A scarab beetle] on the flower
of a rose.
TURPIBUS EXITIUM.
Lightning strikes a burning tower and extinguishes the fire.
COMPESCIT IGNIBUS IGNES.
A bee stings the finger of a hand.
SIBI MAGIS NOCET.
A winegrower pruning vines.
EXSPOLIATA DITIOR.
A lioness and her cub next to a roundel showing the Virgin Mary and the infant Christ.
SEMEL PARII [recte: PARIT] AT LEONEM.
A bird with jesses held by a hand; another bird attacking from above.
IMPEDIT CERTAMEN.
A pair of hands before the collapsing ruin of a tower.
NECESSITATI IMBECILLIOR CEDO.
A vine growing on a stake.
[below:] ONUS LEVE [Mt 11.30].
[above, formerly painted over: SENTICE TUTIOR.]
Noah’s Ark during the Flood.
SURGIT SURGENTIBUS UNDIS.
A clock with four weights.
DESCENSUS IUVAT ASCENSUM.
A cock spreading its wings.
EXCITATUS EXCITAT.
A ring without a stone attached
to a chain held by a hand.
DEEST OPTIMUM.
Two men catching partridges with the help of dogs and a drag-net.
MODO CAPIANTUR.
A tortoise.
[Motto lost].
A sheep suckling a wolf.
MORTIS ALIMENTA MINISTRAT.
[Picture lost].
[Motto lost].
A burning altar [upper half of pictura lost].
PLACUIT OBLATIO [Gn 34.18].
The sky with stars, a full moon, a waxing and a waning moon.
[No motto].
A ship in a storm; the crew throw the cargo overboard.
MINUS MALUM.
A porcupine.
SEMPER SUB ARMIS.
A heathen altar with the inscription IGNOTO DEO [Acts 17.23].
COLUNT NON COLENDA.
A tree with trimmed branches and a pruning sickle.
TRUNCATUR NON DETRUNCATUR.
A scarab beetle attacking an eagle.
A MINIMIS TIMENDUM.
A reed bending in the wind.
FLECTIMUR SED NON FRANGIMUR.
An aviary with four wooden posts.
PONDERE FIRM[I]OR.
A vine growing on a stake.
ONUS LEVE [Mt 11.30].
A nettle.
COMPRESSA NON URIT.
A sparrow in flight held back by
a string.
PROHIBENT VINCULA.
A winged bunch of flowers inside a winged wreath of flowers.
NULLUM SINE ALTERO.
A soldier ready to draw his sword.
PROMPTIUS EXTRAHITUR
QUA(M) I(M)ITTITUR.
A tree full of ripe fruits, some of which are dropping to the ground.
INOPEM ME COPIA FACIT.
The sun shining onto a garden with a sunflower and a sundial in it.
SI RESPICIS RESPICIMUR.
Two dogs injuring themselves while attacking a hedgehog that has rolled into a ball.
LÆDENTEM, LÆDET, ILLÆSUS.
A fountain and a brook next to a lake; the sun breaking through the clouds.
DESCENDENDO ASCENDIT.
A burning candle.
ALIIS INSERVIENDO CONSUMOR.
A crane holding a stone in its claw.
SIC SPERARE LICET.
A bird of prey about to attack a group of waterbirds in a lake.
VIRTUS UNITA FORTIOR.
A wheel held by two hands.
ADVERSIS ADVERSA SOLATIO.
A solitary tree.
[I]N LABORE REQUIES.
A land snail with a large shell.
OMNIA MEA MECUM PORTO.
Ten zeros written on the pages of an open book.
SI UNITATEM ADDIDERIS MAXIMU[M] ERIT.
Red and blue lilies.
HODIE ALIQUID CRAS NIHIL.
A tall tree.
NUMQUAM DEORSUM.
A hand holding a crown and two crossed palm branches against a lakeside landscape.
CORONANS CORONABIT TE.
A camel resting, loaded down with packs.
NEMO AD IMPOSSIBILE TENETUR.
A hunter and his dog chasing a hare in a forest outside a village with a church and graves; from behind a tree, Death appears.
AGITANS AGITABERIS IPSE.
A stag stepping over another stag lying on the ground.
SIC VADIMUS AMBO.
guesthouse, vestibule of 2nd floor with emblem no. 54.
An eye in a mirror.
E[T] PROXIMUM SICUT TE IPSUM.
Copyright note: Added 2018, revised 2026. All photos taken by Jiří Makovec, April 2017, © Kanton Sankt Gallen, Amt für Kultur; except for: exterior view of north-eastern tract (Wikimedia Commons), exterior view from north, view from south with emblems nos. 1–4., view from north with emblems nos. 37–41., and photos of no. 54 (author, July 2017, June 2018 and May 2026). Diagram reproduced from Vogler 1994: 134.