St Nicholas of Flüe
The mystic in the Ranft
Even during his lifetime, Brother Klaus (died 1487) was venerated as a saint. His grave in Sachseln and the hermitage in Flüeli-Ranft quickly belonged to the most visited places of pilgrimage. He was beatified in 1669 but was not canonised until 278 years later, in 1947. Since then, St Nicholas of Flüe has been the patron saint of the Swiss Confederation and is also venerated as a «saint of peace» far beyond the borders of our country. Sachseln/Flüeli-Ranft and Einsiedeln are currently the most important places of pilgrimage in Switzerland.
On 22 December 1481, when it looked as if war was about to break out between the cantons who were at odds with each other and there was a danger of the confederation disintegrating, Brother Klaus sent a message to the legislative assembly in Stans («Tagsatzung»). The contents have remained unknown to the present day but it led to the parties reaching agreement and making peace.