The churches of Mons tell different stories of construction: St. Cosmas and St. Damian is over 1,000 years old; the Baroque Church of St. Francis was built in the 17th century. Wall paintings, frescoes and a historic organ trace several centuries of local history. The hiking trails also offer different highlights – from the longer Veia digl Pader to the winter hiking trail and a panoramic trail featuring Romansh poetry.
Two Churches, Different Periods of Construction
The old Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian stands on the historic thoroughfare. Its tower has paired round-arched windows; traces of a depiction of St. Christopher have also been preserved there. Christopher is considered the patron saint of travellers, giving the image a particular connection to the journey. The floor plan of the former parish church, with its hall and semicircular apse, points to an early Romanesque building.
The wall paintings also tell of different periods. The paintings in the former parish church date from the second half of the 14th century and are stylistically attributed to the so-called Master of Rhäzüns. By contrast, frescoes in the choir and the southern part of the nave date from the second half of the 15th century and are attributed to the Lombard art circle. In the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property for Graubünden, the old church is classified as a Category B cultural property.
St. Francis is a Baroque church built between 1643 and 1648. It is considered the principal work of the master builder Giulio Rigaglia from Roveredo in the Misox. The edition of the Swiss Inventory dated 1 January 2026 lists the Catholic church, together with the rectory, as a Category A cultural property.
A fresco cycle from 1647, created by Johann Rudolf Sturn, was uncovered again during renovations from 1974 to 1976. The church’s history also includes an organ: Abbrederis made it in 1690, and it was brought to Mons in 1712. At St. Francis, the construction period, paintings and historic furnishings can each be placed in their historical context.
An early record of the name dates back to around 1001, when Mons was first mentioned as “de Maune”. Together with the church buildings, this date provides a brief chronological framework for the town’s history.
Hiking Trails with Different Highlights
The 13.1-kilometre Veia digl Pader hike starts in Stierva, passes through Plangs to Mons and continues to Savognin. The route description therefore covers both the section to the village and the continuation towards Savognin. There is one specific condition for travelling to the Veia digl Pader by PostBus between Tiefencastel and Stierva: the journey is available only by advance booking, at least one hour before departure.
The section of the Via Sett between Mons and Savognin follows the Veia digl Pader. It passes through a varied cultural landscape with former field terraces and prehistoric settlements. The names therefore refer to different perspectives on one section of the route: the Veia digl Pader is described as a hike from Stierva to Savognin, while the Via Sett highlights the section between Mons and Savognin.
Another seasonal option is the winter hiking trail from Mons to Stierva, which offers a magnificent view of the lower Albula Valley. On the panoramic trail from Stierva to Savognin, hikers can listen along the way to Romansh poems by Father Alexander Lozza via the Parc Ela app, if the app is available. If access to the audio content is important for your plans, check that the app is available in advance.
Cultural Landscape and Local Products
Castela-Sendas in the municipality of Mons is designated as a cultural landscape with special land management. Its features include hedges and shrubs as well as terraces, nutrient-poor meadows and wetlands. These landscape features add a distinct, agriculture-focused perspective to the churches and historic traces along the hiking trails.
The Sur Castelas farm shop in Mons sells alpine cheese, Salsiz sausage, bratwurst, dried vegetables, dried fruit, potatoes and other products. The selection may change.
Discover more destinations: Tinizong-Rona, Tiefencastel, Riom-Parsonz, Schmitten, Stierva, Sur, Brienz/Brinzauls, Bivio.
For the overarching travel overview: Albula.
