The most beautiful religious buildings Zurich

The Romanesque-Gothic church on the right bank of the Limmat is, together with the Grossmünster Cathedral, one of Zurich's landmarks. The church, with its Benedictine monastery, was founded in 853 by King Ludwig the German, whose two daughters, Hildegard and Berthe, were the first abbesses. The abbey was home to women of the European nobility, mainly from southern Germany. The church enjoyed royal favour and influence, including the right to mint Zurich's currency until the 13th century. Following the Reformation movement (1524), the church and convent became the property of the city of Zurich. The most interesting parts are the 18-metre high Romanesque choir and the transept vault. Today it is appreciated by many visitors for its magnificent stained glass windows, world-famous masterpieces that make it a place of art. The famous painter, engraver and sculptor Marc Chagall, born in Belarus and naturalized in France in 1937, executed the five stained glass windows in the choir in 1970 and the rose window in the south of the transept in 1980 at an advanced age. Augusto Giacometti, the uncle of the famous Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti, made the stained glass windows in the north window representing the four evangelists, God, the eight prophets and Christ in 1947. The cloister also features frescoes by the Zurich artist Paul Bodmer depicting the legend of the construction of the monastery. The organ of the Fraumünster, inaugurated in 1953, is the largest organ in Zurich with 5,793 pipes.

The Grossmünster Cathedral, a shrine steeped in history and a true emblem of Zurich, has marked the cityscape and the old town for many centuries. According to legend, it was Charlemagne who had the church built when he discovered the tombs of Felix and Regula, the patron saints of the city of Zurich, martyrs who died for the Christian faith against Roman domination. Its construction in Romanesque style began in 1100 and spanned a long period with numerous renovations and alterations over the centuries. In the 16th century, Ulrich Zwingli, the main architect of the Reformation in Zurich, was appointed parish priest of the cathedral and turned the city over to Protestantism within a few years. In 1525, Catholic services were officially abolished, and Grossmünster became the first Reformed church in Switzerland. The cathedral's characteristic two large, identical towers, once made of wood, were replaced in 1781 by neo-Gothic bell towers. One of the two towers, the Charlemagne Tower (Karslturm), has a copy of a statue of Charlemagne at its top, the original being housed in the crypt, the oldest part of the site. The chancel has beautiful stained glass windows by Augusto Giacometti from 1932 highlighting scenes from the Old Testament. In 2009, German artist Sigmar Polke created beautiful agate windows in the nave depicting key figures from the Old Testament. The most courageous will climb the 187 steps to the top of the Charlemagne Tower.

The building dates from before the 9th century. It is the oldest parish church and the only baroque church in Zurich. It is difficult to miss its clock, whose dial is the largest in Europe. It measures 8.70 m in diameter. Until 1911, the bell tower was used as a fire lookout tower. It houses five bells, the largest of which weighs more than 6 tons. Inside, the choir dates back to the 13th century and most of the furniture and decoration to the 18th century. Rudolf Brun (1290-1360), who was the first mayor of the town, is buried here.