Gorges de Sainte-Vérène

The Gorges de Sainte-Vérène (Verenaschlucht) open at the foot of the Weissenstein, in the commune of Rüttenen, in the canton of Solothurn. It is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites of National Importance (ISOS) as a cultural landscape; the hermitage it shelters, dedicated to Saint Verena, is a class A Swiss cultural property of national significance.

One of the hermitage's two chapels dates in part from the 12th century, making it the second-oldest building in the Solothurn area. The presence of a hermit there is first attested in 1442. In the late 18th century, the French diplomat Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil had the gorge landscaped into a Romantic-style garden, following the example of the Arlesheim hermitage near Basel and the Sanspareil rock garden in Upper Franconia; the site became a popular destination for outings. In the 19th century, numerous plaques and memorial stones were placed there in memory of Solothurn figures, including the geologist Amanz Gressly, giving the gorge the character of an open-air hall of fame. The path running through it is listed in the Inventory of Historic Traffic Routes of Switzerland as a route of national significance.

The hermit's upkeep has for centuries been funded by the Bürgergemeinde of Solothurn; in 2014 this amounted to 2,000 francs a month. In 2009, Sister Verena Dubacher became the first woman to hold the post of hermit at the site, succeeding Brother Johannes Leutenegger; Sister Benedikta Sigel succeeded her from mid-2014 to early 2016, before Michael Daum was elected the new hermit on 26 September 2016.

Why this place is remarkable

The Verena Gorge owes its character to the hermitage carved into the rock face, one of whose two chapels dates in part from the 12th century — the second-oldest building in the Solothurn area — and to the unbroken presence of a hermit attested since 1442. Landscaped into a Romantic garden in the late 18th century by the French diplomat Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, then covered in the 19th century with memorial plaques to Solothurn figures, it has for centuries been funded by the Bürgergemeinde of Solothurn, which maintains the post of hermit to this day.

History and origin

One of the hermitage's two chapels dates in part from the 12th century. The presence of a hermit at the site known as 'ze sant Frenen' is first attested in 1442. In the late 18th century, the French diplomat Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil had the gorge landscaped into a Romantic garden, on the model of the Arlesheim hermitage near Basel and the Sanspareil rock garden in Upper Franconia. The site is listed in the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites of National Importance (ISOS) as a cultural landscape, and the hermitage itself is a class A Swiss cultural property of national significance.