The Grossmünster (; "great minster") is a Romanesque-style Protestant church in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It is one of the four major churches in the city (the others being the

Fraumünster The Fraumünster (; lit. in ) is a church in Zürich which was built on the remains of a former abbey for aristocratic women which was founded in 853 by Louis the German for his daughter Hildegard. He endowed the Benedictine convent with the l ...

, Predigerkirche, and St. Peterskirche). Its congregation forms part of the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Zürich. The core of the present building near the banks of the Limmat was constructed on the site of a

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

church, which was, according to legend, originally commissioned by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

. Construction of the present structure commenced around 1100 and it was inaugurated around 1220. The Grossmünster was a monastery church, vying for precedence with the

across the

Limmat The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, continuing a further 35 km until it reaches the river A ...

throughout the Middle Ages. According to legend, the Grossmünster was founded by Charlemagne, whose horse fell to its knees over the tombs of Felix, Regula and Exuperantius, Zürich's patron saints. The legend helps support a claim of seniority over the Fraumünster, which was founded by

Louis the German Louis the German (German language, German: ''Ludwig der Deutsche''; c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany (German language, German: ''Ludwig II. von Deutschland''), was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 8 ...

, Charlemagne's grandson. Recent archaeological evidence confirms the presence of a Roman burial ground at the site.

Historical significance

Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swis ...

initiated the Swiss-German

Reformation in Switzerland The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate, Mark Reust, and the population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matte ...

from his pastoral office at the Grossmünster, starting in 1520. Zwingli won a series of debates presided over by the magistrate in 1523 which ultimately led local civil authorities to sanction the severance of the church from the papacy. The reforms initiated by Zwingli and continued by his successor, Heinrich Bullinger, account for the plain interior of the church. The iconoclastic reformers removed the organ and religious statuary in 1524. These changes, accompanied by abandonment of Lent, replacement of the Mass, disavowal of celibacy, eating meat on fast days, replacement of the lectionary with a seven-year New Testament cycle, a ban on church music, and other significant reforms make this church one of the most important sites in the history of the reformation and the birthplace of the Swiss-German reformation.

Burials

*Saints Felix and Regula *

Conrad Gessner Conrad Gessner (; ; 26 March 1516 – 13 December 1565) was a Swiss physician, naturalist, bibliographer, and philologist. Born into a poor family in Zürich, Switzerland, his father and teachers quickly realised his talents and supported him t ...

* Peter Martyr Vermigli

Architecture

Grossmunster Portal Medieval Column Grotesque Capital

The twin towers of the Grossmünster are regarded as perhaps the most recognized landmark in Zürich. Architecturally, the church is considered Romanesque in style and thus a part of the first pan-European architectural trend since Imperial Roman architecture. In keeping with the Romanesque architectural style, Grossmünster offers a great carved portal featuring medieval columns with grotesques adorning the capitals. A Romanesque

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

dates to the 11th and 13th centuries. Bollinger Sandstein was used for the construction. The two towers were first erected between 1487 and 1492. Originally, they had high wooden steeples, which were destroyed by fire in 1763, following which the present neo-Gothic tops were added (completed 1787).

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

is known to have mocked the church's appearance as that of two pepper dispensers. The church now features modern stained-glass windows by Swiss artist Augusto Giacometti added in 1932. Ornate bronze doors in the north and south portals by Otto Münch were added in 1935 and 1950.Global Hotel Index
accessed September 10, 2006 The church houses a

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

museum in the cloister. The annex to the cloister houses the theological school of the

University of Zurich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

Gallery

File:Heinrich Bullinger Grossmunster Zurich.jpg, Statuary relief of Heinrich Bullinger on the southern exterior wall File:Switzerland Zürich Grossmünster Charlemagne Münch 1935.jpg,

on the bronze doors by Münch (1935) File:Grossmuenster Kirche Fassade.jpeg, Facade of the monastery building, now housing the theological faculty of the

File:ZürichGrossmünsterKreuzgang-pjt.jpg, Cloister File:Zürich - Grossmünster - Sicht vom Grossmünster Karlsturm IMG 6398.JPG, Same building as seen from ''Karlstower'' File:Grossmünster stained glass.jpg, Stained Glass from inside the church by Swiss artist Augusto Giacometti added in 1932 File:Zürich - Grossmünster IMG 0237.jpg, Grossmünster as seen from Münsterhof File:Zürich - Grossmünster Karl der Grosse IMG 0236.jpg,

'sitting' at the southern tower, the so-called ''Karlsturm'' File:Zürich - Grossmünster Krypta Karl IMG 1303.JPG,

Crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

with original Charlemagne statue (15th century) File:Zürich - Grossmünster Krypta Decke IMG 1305.jpg, Crypt, heraldry File:Grossmünster - Innenansicht IMG 6436 ShiftN.jpg,

Nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and stained glass windows by Augusto Giacometti File:Zürich Grossmünster 01.jpg, Stained glass windows created by Sigmar Polke in 2009 File:Zürich Grossmünster 02.jpg, Metzler-Organ made 1960 File:Grossmünster - Innenansicht IMG 6430 ShiftN.jpg, Nave, sight to the Chorus File:Zürich - Grossmünster Portal IMG 1296.JPG, Portal File:Zürich - Grossmünster Detail IMG 1298.JPG, Reliefs (portal, left side) File:Zürich Grossmünster 06.jpg, Reliefs (portal, right side) File:Zürich - Grossmünster IMG 0232.jpg, Details at the northern wall File:Zürich - Grossmünster - Kapelle Helferei IMG 1312.JPG, Chapel, fountain and so-called 'Helferei' building File:Zürich - Grossmünster - Wasserkirche IMG 1154 ShiftN.jpg, The towers and Wasserkirche with a view of the Limmat File:Evening on the Limmat.jpg, Grossmünster as seen from the Limmat File:Grossmünster. model 2.jpg, A model of Grossmünster, made for the blind

Cloister

The cloister of former ''Grossmünster Chorherrenstift'' dates from the late 12th century AD and was part of the canons (''Chorherrenstift'') which was repealed in 1832, and gave place of the girls' school ''Carolinum''. The cloister was dismantled and integrated into the new building those reconstruction was based on the original elements of the architecture, but includes numerous interpretations. The cloister was renewed in 2009, its sandstone elements were cleaned, and the interior garden redesigned in cooperation with the foundation ProSpecieRara. The compilation of the cultural and historical ornamental plants is inspired by the natural scientist and polymath

who found his final resting place in the cloister.

Carolinum and Heritage site of national significance

Canton of Zürich The canton of Zurich is an administrative unit (Swiss canton, canton) of Switzerland, situated in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton of Switzerland. Zurich is the ''de facto'' Capi ...

, and the annex building being the former

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

, however, is in the property of the city of Zürich. It is leased to the Theological faculty of the University of Zürich since 1976. The as of today faculty building was built by Gustav Albert Wegmann in 1843. Grossmünster and Carolinum are listed in the

Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance #REDIRECT Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance {{R from other capitalisation ...

as a ''Class A'' object of national importance.

References

*Daniel Gutscher, ''Das Grossmünster in Zürich. Eine baugeschichtliche Monographie'' (1983).

External links

Official website

- Sacred Destinations (include
photo gallery

Old City Plan of Church depicting original spires

City Panorama of Zürich, shot in Winter 2004 from the tower of Grossmünster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grossmunster Altstadt (Zurich) History of Zurich Reformed churches in Zurich 13th-century churches in Switzerland Buildings and structures completed in 1220 Churches completed in the 1220s Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Zurich Romanesque architecture in Switzerland