Elisabeth von Matzingen

Elisabeth von Matzingen, was a Swiss abbess. She led the Fraumünster Abbey and, effectively, Zurich itself for 32 years, from 1308 until her death.

Biography

Originally from a family of barons in Thurgau, she became known in Zurich starting in 1289, when she was mentioned as a nun at the Fraumünster Abbey. She became abbess in 1308, succeeding Elisabeth von Spiegelberg.
She oversaw the repair of the abbey church, which had been in poor condition since a fire in 1289. Some of her official acts are preserved, such as the agreement she reached in 1332 regarding tithes with a pastor.
She died on 10 August 1340, in Zurich and was succeeded by Fides von Klingen.