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Church and Tourism

Visit churches from the Reformation

Switzerland has a large number of Reformed Churches that are well worth a visit. Here is a small selection:

Berner Münster, Bern
The Berner Münster (minster) is Switzerland’s largest and most important late-medieval church. Today it is a Reformed Parish Church, a venue for musical and other cultural events and a popular sightseeing attraction for tourists.

Grossmünster, Zurich
The Grossmünster is a Reformed Church in Zurich’s old city. Until the Reformation, the Grossmünster was part of a temporal chapter of canons as well as a parish church. Together with the Fraumünster und St. Peters Kirche, the Grossmünster is one of the best-known churches in Zurich. Its characteristic twin towers are the true landmark of the city.

Fraumünster, Zurich
The Fraumünster is a Reformed Church in the heart of Zurich’s old city. At one time a convent church, today it is an abbey church with a large community of worshippers and a magnificent organ. The beautiful Romanesque-Gothic building with glass windows by Marc Chagall and Augusto Giacometti attracts many visitors every day.

Basler Münster, Basel
The Münster is one of Basel’s main sightseeing attractions. Built in a striking position high above the Rhine, the former Episcopal Church shines out into the region. The Reformed House of God is a living monument to Romanesque and Gothic architecture (1019-1500) in red sandstone. It has an eventful history and is now a place of worship and a venue for a large number of concerts.

Cathedral of St. Pierre, Geneva
The Cathedral of Saint Pierre, named after Peter the Apostle, is the former cathedral of the bishops of Geneva and today the main Reformed Church of the city. Excavations under the cathedral can be visited and these reveal that the church has a complex history dating back to the 4th century.

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Lausanne
the primarily Gothic-style Lausanne Cathedral was built in the 13th century and is the landmark of the capital city of Canton Vaud. It is the best-preserved Gothic building in Switzerland.

Kirche St. Martin, Zillis
The Church of St. Martin stands in the centre of the village of Zillis, in the Swiss canton of Graubunden. The Romanesque hall church is famous throughout the world for its ceiling murals.

Aua Viva, Disentis
The Aua Viva (living water) church community centre was opened in 1999 in Disentis-Raveras, a Romansh-speaking and traditionally Catholic region of Canton Graubunden.

Open churches in Basel, Bern, Zurich, St. Gallen and Zug
Open churches are places that provide room for people’s different religious, cultural and social interests. They create religious offers extending far beyond those of the traditional churches

Ecumenical church, Mogelsberg
Mogelsberg Church in Toggenburg, St Gallen has been used by both Protestants and Catholics since 1958. If this shared use created tension in earlier days, it is now marked by mutual respect. The church is open throughout the day and offers an invitation to quiet contemplation. It also offers an interesting virtual tour.

Reformed Church Sur En, Ardez
The Reformed Church in Sur En near Ardez in the Lower Engadin is a Reformed Church that has been declared a listed building by Canton Graubunden. Its architecture is regarded as typical of the Reformation.

Food for thought
Did you know that the fundamental principles of the Reformation are clearly expressed in Reformed Church architecture? More

Links
Sacred Destinations Switzerland
Sacred destinations in Switzerland

Virtual tour of selected churches
Virtual tour of selected churches in Switzerland

Dependably open doors
Churches that keep their doors open for visitors

Churches in the Bernese Oberland
Description of all churches in the Bernese Oberland

Churches in Graubunden
Description of all churches in Canton Graubunden

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