The Grossmünster (Great Church)
Overview
-
Hint
Intro
Any religious tour to Zürich must begin at the Romanesque Grossmünster, symbol of the city and Zürich's religious heart and soul. This is the site where legend says Sts. Felix and Regula are buried, the cathedral that Charlemagne is said to have founded himself. More importantly, it was here in the Grossmünster that Huldrych Zwingli preached a new brand of Christianity in the early 16th century, one that would change the face of Switzerland and Protestantism.
The interior of the Grossmünster bears evidence of Zwingli's influence. The cathedral stands stripped of any pre-Reformation statuary or ornamentation (save a few stone carvings of Charlemagne); they were removed to guard against the distractions of religious artwork, and to impress upon visitors the sufficiency of God alone in one's salvation. Beneath the apse, the cathedral's 12th-century crypt houses 15th-century murals of Felix and Regula, as well as a well-worn, 15th-century statue of Charlemagne. Visit before noon and the cathedral's east-facing apse glows red and blue, lit up by Augusto Giacometti's 20th-century stained glass windows.