St. Pierre Cathedral
Saint Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland is the principal church of the Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva. Previously it was a Roman Catholic cathedral, having been converted in 1535. It is known as the adopted home church of John Calvin, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Inside the church is a wooden chair used by Calvin.
| Saint Pierre Cathedral of Geneva | |
|---|---|
| The Cathedral Church of St Peter | |
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Genève | |
St. Pierre Cathedral | |
Saint Pierre Cathedral of Geneva Location of St. Pierre Cathedral in Switzerland | |
| 46°12′4″N 6°8′55″E / 46.20111°N 6.14861°E | |
| Location | Geneva |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Denomination | Protestant Church of Geneva |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Tradition | Calvinist |
| Website | St. Pierre Cathedral |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 4th century |
| Dedication | Peter the Apostle |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance |
| Style | Gothic |
History edit
Below the cathedral is a modern, well-interpreted, and accessible archaeological site that includes a 1st-century BC tomb of an ancient Allobrogian chieftain.[1] An oppidum erected on the hill of Saint-Pierre allowed them to control the inland navigation on the Rhône.[2]
Although this has been the site of a cathedral (a church that is the seat of a bishop) since the fourth century, the present building was begun under Arducius de Faucigny, the prince-bishop of the Diocese of Geneva, around 1160,[3] in Gothic style. The interior of the cathedral is lined with fourth-century mosaics. The German painter Konrad Witz painted an altarpiece, the so-called St. Peter Altarpiece, for the cathedral in 1444, now in the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva, which contains his composition, the Miraculous Draught of Fishes.[citation needed]
At the time of the Reformation, the interior of the large, cruciform, late-gothic church was stripped of its rood screen, side chapels, and all decorative works of art, except the stained glass, leaving a vast, plain interior that contrasts sharply with the interior of surviving medieval churches that remain Roman Catholic. A Neo-Classical main façade was added in the 18th century.[3] In the 1890s, Genevans redecorated a large, side chapel adjacent to the cathedral's man doors in a polychrome, gothic revival style.
Theodore Beza, French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar, and successor to John Calvin, was buried at St. Pierre in 1605.
Present day edit
Currently, every summer a German Protestant minister is present, making it possible to hold bilingual services and meetings of both German and French Protestant worshippers. [citation needed]
On Whit Saturday, 30 May 2020, after nearly 485 years[4] a Catholic Mass was to be celebrated in the cathedral as a symbol of ecumenical hospitality.[5] Because of COVID-19, the Catholic Mass was postponed and was celebrated on Saturday, 5 March 2022.
On certain nights of the full moon, the cathedral sponsors "The Nocturnes de St-Pierre", an opportunity to access the towers for a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside by moonlight.[6]
Bells edit
| No. | Name | Year | Caster, Gussort | Diameter (mm) | Mass (kg) | Strike tone | Tower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Clémence | 1902 | H. Rüetschi, Aarau | 2190 | 6238 | g0 | North |
| 2 | L'Accord | 1845 | S. Treboux, Vevey | 1560 | 2080 | c1 | South |
| 3 | La Bellerive | 1473 | Nicolas Guerci | 1400 | 1500 | e1 | North |
| 4 | La Collavine | 1609 | 1140 | 1012 | g1 | South | |
| 5 | L'Espérance | 2002 | H. Rüetschi, Aarau | 930 | 475 | a1 | South |
| 6 | L'Eveil | 1845 | S. Treboux, Vevey | 750 | 261 | c2 | South |
| 7 | Le Rappel | 15th century | 590 | 133 | e2 | South | |
| I | La Cloche des Heures | 1460 | 1290 | 1610 | e1 | Spire | |
| II | Le Tocsin | 1509 | 760 | 270 | cis2 | South |
Gallery edit
- Spire of St. Pierre Cathedral
- Front entrance of the Cathedral at night
- John Calvin's chair
- Jet d'Eau from the north tower of the Cathedral
- Ceiling of the Maccabees Chapel
- Chapelle of St. Pierre Cathedral
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Blair, Hazel. "St Pierre Cathedral", World Archaeology, Issue 83, May 25, 2017
- ^ Kruta, Venceslas (2000). Les Celtes, histoire et dictionnaire : des origines à la romanisation et au christianisme. Robert Laffont. p. 636. ISBN 2-221-05690-6.
- ^ a b "Saint-Pierre Cathedral", Ville de Genève
- ^ After the temporary suspension of the Mass by a city council decision on August 10, 1535, no Catholic Mass had taken place. (Publication de L'Association pour la Restauration de Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre Ancienne Cathédrale de Genève, Geneva, 1982, p. 67)
- ^ Catholic Mass in Cathedral of the Reformed (in German), Deutschlandfunk, 31 May 2020.
- ^ "The Nocturnes de St-Pierre", Cathedrale Saint-Pierre Geneve
Further reading edit
- Bonnet, Charles (February 1987), "The Archaeological Site of the Cathedral of Saint Peter (Saint-Pierre), Geneva", World Archaeology, 18 (3), Taylor & Francies, Ltd: 330–340, doi:10.1080/00438243.1987.9980010, JSTOR 124589
External links edit
Saint-Pierre Cathedral,
Geneva.
- Official St Pierre Cathedral website—(in French)
- Izi.travel: Cathedral visitor's guide—(in English)
- Tibet.ca: "The Dalai Lama visits to the Cathedral" (1999)—(in English)
- Images
- Gotik-romanik.de: photos of Cathedral
- Rawle.org: Aerial view of entire Cathedral
- UCLA.edu: Cathedral's stained glass windows
- Musiqueorguequebec.ca: Cathedral organ