 In 1626, St. Johann abbey was moved after a series of calamities to what is now "Neu St. Johann" near Nesslau; from this time, the village became known as "Alt St. Johann" ("Old Saint John's") to contrast with the new site of the monastery.The municipalities of Alt St. Johann and Wildhaus merged into the municipality of Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann on 1 January 2010.Alt St. Johann has an area, , of .