Last Updated on March 3, 2023 by pg@petergamma.org
The place of pilgrimage Maria Einsiedeln (in the dark forest) is closely linked to the life of Saint Meinrad:
https://www.kloster-einsiedeln.ch/heiliger-meinrad/
In 835 he is said to have built a hermitage and a chapel on the spot where the Chapel of Mercy now stands in the monastery church in order to serve God in the hermitage (hence the place name Einsiedeln).
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einsiedeln
Switzerland has a tradition of people who lived and live in solidary retreat: Niklaus von Flue, Saint Meinrad and meditators at the Meditation Research Institute Switzerland (MRIS).