The Benedictine monastery is in a mountain valley at the foot of mount Titlis and is considered a possession of Engelberg. It was founded in 1120 by count Shelenbergerom from Zurich. In the same year it was inhabited by monks from the monastery of Muri. Soon opened the first school of scribes.

Some time the monastery was designed for both women and men. The female part has outlived its usefulness to 1615 - the last of the nuns moved to St. Andreas.

The location of the monastery is very well - after all, he is clearly at the center of the valley. The Abbey had a spiritual and political significance, unbreakable neither fires and epidemics or military clashes. Breaking the three fires, the monastery survived. The last time the fire was in 1729, after which most of the buildings were renovated under the supervision of the Austrian architect Johann Ruth. The pride of the monastery is a wooden panel in the interior of the monastery rooms. The size of each panel – 50x20 cm and consist of 300 or more pieces. It is the fruit of creativity of one of the monks.

In the 19th century when the monastery was built the school, to the monks of the monastery paid much attention to education. Gradually, the school has expanded and today it consists of a gymnasium, the average classical school, boarding school for children of both sexes and people's school (for adults).

The monastery has a library, which is common to monasteries. It holds about a thousand manuscripts (both modern and medieval), several hundreds of publications and thousands of books 16-19 centuries.

The monastery is a Museum where you can see exhibits telling about the life of Benedictine monks. The most valuable exhibits of the Museum can be called Alpejska crucifix of the 12th century, the Royal regalia of king Otto IV (1208), and the model of the monastery until the last fire of 1729.

At the monastery the factory make cheese, which can be purchased in a small shop, along with local meats, jams and honey.