Katholische Klosterkirche des Hl. Dominikus, Ilanz

The catholic monastery church of St. Dominic stands in the center of the monastery complex of Quinclas, a good 70 meters above the city 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 28 May 1408, the St. Nicholas Chapel was inaugurated in the Ilanzer Vorstadt near the Rhine Bridge. In 1865, the Sursilvan pastor 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 monastery complex in Quinclas with a mother church for 300 people. On 28 November 1967, construction work began under architect Walter Moser from Zurich. On November 28, 1968 was the topping-out ceremony. The bell from the Rüetschi company, Aarau, was consecrated on 8 November 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, the consecration took place by Bishop Johannes Vonderach from Chur. The organ was inaugurated on 29 October 1972.

The hall church is covered by a flat, white ceiling on fine strips. It is painted with large, ring-like ribbons 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 protrudes into the nave in the middle part, is located in the north of the church. On it, created by sculptor Alfred Huber from crystalline marble, stand the altar, the ambo and the tabernacle as a stele with the "eternal light".

The irregular window openings in the exposed concrete of all four surrounding walls are partly picture windows, on the other hand scharten windows with indirect light incidence in different sizes. The picture windows were designed by painter Dr. Rüedi, whose execution was provided by the studio H. R. Süess-Nägeli from Zurich.
The bell girder, visible from the valley, is built on the southwest corner of the church. While the old bell of the former monastery church rings today in the Ilanzer mission station in Brazil, the new electrically powered bell hangs on Quinclas.

(Text entered by: Regiun Surselva)