Catholic monastery church of St. Dominic, Ilanz

The Catholic monastery church of St. Dominic stands in the center of the monastery complex of Quinclas, a good 70 meters above the town of Ilanz on the left side of the valley. The monastery is easily accessible on the road from Ilanz in the direction of Ruschein-Ladir.On May 28, 1408, the chapel of St. Nicholas was consecrated in the Ilanz suburb near the Rhine bridge. In 1865, the Sursilvan priest Dr. Johannes Fidelis de Pouz (1817 - 1875) founded the religious community in a house next to the chapel. In 1904, the institute church was built on the site of the St. Nicholas chapel and consecrated in 1908. The sisters were housed in seven different houses. Nevertheless, there was a great lack of space.It was decided to build a convent complex with a mother church for 300 people in Quinclas. On November 28, 1967, construction work began under architect Walter Moser from Zurich. The topping-out ceremony took place on November 28, 1968. The bell from the company Rüetschi, Aarau, was consecrated on November 8, 1969 by the episcopal vicar, Father Derungs. On December 20, 1969, the church was consecrated and the first evening mass was celebrated.On March 7, 1970, Bishop Johannes Vonderach from Chur consecrated the church. The organ was inaugurated on October 29, 1972.

The hall church is covered by a flat, white ceiling on fine moldings. It is painted with large, ring-like bands in delicate shades of yellow and orange. This work was carried out by the painter Dr. Max Rüedi from Zurich. In the middle of the ceiling is an eight-pointed yellow star. The chancel, which is raised by one step and projects into the nave in the central section, is located in the north of the church. The altar, the ambo and the tabernacle as a stele with the “eternal light”, created by sculptor Alfred Huber from crystalline marble, stand on it.

The irregular window openings in the exposed concrete of all four surrounding walls are partly picture windows, partly embrasure windows with indirect light incidence in various sizes. The picture windows were designed by painter Dr. Rüedi and executed by Atelier H. R. Süess-Nägeli from Zurich.The bell tower, visible from afar from the valley, is mounted on the south-western corner of the church. While the old bell from the former monastery church now rings in the Ilanz mission station in Brazil, the new electrically powered bell hangs on Quinclas.

(Text collected by: Regiun Surselva)