Rüti Abbey
In 1206 the estate for the abbey was given by "Liutold IV", Count of Regensberg, and a small church in Unterbollingen on the upper Lake Zürich peninsula whose rights were transferred by "Rudolf von Rapperswil" and "Diethelm von Toggenburg" to the convent in 1229. Initially founded as a branch of the Premonstratensian Abbey in Churwalden, Rüti Abbey, commonly known as "Saint Mary Abbey", was placed by the Bishop of Constance to the Weissenau (Minderau) abbey in 1230 and was part of the administrative district of "Zirkaria Swabia". The consecration was originally celebrated on the Sunday after "Conversio Sancti Pauli" (25 January); in 1254 Bishop "Eberhard von Regensberg" moved fair to the Sunday after the day of remembrance of the Saints Philip and Jacob (1 Mai), but in 1298 the parish fair was again postponed on the day of Marcellus (16 January). In 1286, for financial reason, the Countess Elisabeth von Rapperswil had to sell her farm estate in Oberdürnten including the associated rights (in particular the lower courts) to the Rüti Abbey. But the House of Rapperswil also supported the Rüti abbey in the following decades, so Johann's I son, Johann II, assigned an estate and all rights in the name of his younger siblings on 17 June 1340. The convent was generously endowed with money and goods by the aristocratic families in northeastern Switzerland, enabling it to buy the rights to parish churches and a large number of additional estates. By gift, purchase and exchange, Rüti Abbey enlarged its ownership, which concentrated in the early 15th century in Rüti (Ferrach and Oberdürnten), between Greifensee and Pfäffikersee and on the northeastern shore on so-called "Obersee" lakes. Rüti was an important stage point along the "Jakobsweg" (Way of St. James) leading via Rapperswil and the wooden bridge at the Seedamm lake crossing to the Einsiedeln Abbey. In 1408 the Rüti village and the abbey came under the reign of the government of the city of Zürich as part of the so-called "Herrschaft Grüningen". Among many other transfers of lands and goods, on 12 May 1433 "Heini Murer von Grueningen" and his wife "Anna Keller" confirmed the transfer of their lands on "Lutzelnoew" island, including numerous buildings and lands in the "Herrschaft Grüningen". By order of the council of the city of Zürich, on occasion of the Reformation in Zürich, the monastery was abolished, and the so-called Amt Rüti established on 17 June 1525, to manage the extensive estates and income, and the monastery church went over to the state.