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The best preserved Carolingian fresco cycle can be found in a remote valley in Graubünden, in the monastery church of Müstair. The church is dedicated to St John the Baptist, and it is generally believed to have been founded by in about 790, and probably by Charlemagne. One can assume that the frescoes were painted soon after the completion of the monastery church. Located in the apses, the paintings remained undiscovered until 1896 and were finally completely uncovered by 1950. The apses and the eastern wall had been painted over in the twelfth century by artists belonging to the School of Salzburg. These Romanesque frescoes show a variety of biblical themes including scenes from the life of St John the Baptist.
The frescoes in the central apse show St John's martyrdom. He was decapitated and his head offered at a banquet hosted by King Herod. The upside down figure is Salome dancing. The following scene depicts St John's burial.
The geometric patterns resemble those found in Italian churches with Byzantine influences such as in Ravenna.
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