The Saint, Mont Terri and Hiking
16 March 2022
The prince-bishopric of Basel acquired the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Ursanne (today’s canton of Jura) in 1146. In the 13th century, the prince-bishopric was the strongest secular power on the Upper Rhine.
The territory of the prince-bishop included the current canton of Jura and the northern area of canton Bern, the Sundgau, southern Alsace, Birseck, the Birstal and possessions in the south of Germany.
The bishop was also a prince of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, hence the title of prince-bishop.
When Basel changed faith in 1527, the bishop moved his seat to Porrentruy. The southern part of the Jura, and the towns of Biel and Moutier, came under the influence of Protestant Bern. The northern region and the towns of Délemont, Porrentruy, and St. Ursanne remained Catholic.
The Confederation (Eidgenossenschaft) controlled the Protestant southern part of the Jura. However, this area still belonged to the prince-bishopric of Basel.
This situation changed after the French annexation of the Catholic northern part on 17 December 1792. This part of the Jura became the République rauracienne. On 23 March 1793, it was merged with the French department of Mont-Terrible.
In 1797, France also annexed the southern part of the (Protestant) Jura. It marked the end of the prince-bishopric. The northern and south Jura were added to the department of Haut-Rhin on 17 February 1800. This situation remained until the defeat of Napoleon in 1813.
The Canton of Bern acquired the area of today’s Canton of Jura in 1815, including Saint-Ursanne. Finally, on 1 January 1979, the new canton of Jura was created, including Saint Ursanne.
Who would have thought that more than fourteen hundred years after Saint Ursanne, one of the most advanced research projects, is taking place three hundred metres underground near the monastery?
The railway station of Saint Ursanne is located on the mountain near the Mont Terri underground laboratory project (Laboratoire souterrain Mont Terri/Felslabor Mont Terri (www.mont-terri.ch).
This unique international and intergovernmental project, initiated and supervised by swisstopo (a body of the Swiss Federation), has existed for several decades.
The monastery’s first known abbot (Bourquard of Burco, 1119-1139) and the last (Jean-Jacques Keller, 1789-1793) would have been proud.
The Mont Terri visitor centre provides a well-documented overview of the kilometres of underground passages and the many fascinating experiments that have been carried out at a depth of three hundred metres for almost twenty-five years. There are also guided tours of the ‘laboratory’ for groups of at least ten people.
Which hiker can imagine the existence of a subtropical sea 175 million years ago, with fossilised shells as witnesses, millions of years old bacteria or the visible geological periods of the rocks at three hundred meters below the hiking tracks?
For hikers, the Mons Terri Laboratorium project is a good starting point for reflection when visiting the “only” fourteen hundred-year-old town and church of Saint-Ursanne. The Doubs river, the natural park and the mountains are magnificent decor.
(Source: www.ursanne1400.ch).