St. Pierre Cathedral

This article is about the cathedral in Geneva. For the cathedral in Saint-Pierre, see St. Pierre Cathedral, Saint-Pierre.
St. Pierre Cathedral of Geneva
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Genève

St. Pierre Cathedral
St. 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 / 46.20111; 6.14861Coordinates: 46°12′4″N 6°8′55″E / 46.20111°N 6.14861°E / 46.20111; 6.14861
Country Switzerland
Denomination Calvinist
Website St. Pierre Cathedral
History
Founded 4th century
Architecture
Status Cathedral
Functional status Active
Heritage designation Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
Style Gothic

The St. Pierre Cathedral is a cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland, today belonging to the Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva. 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.

History

It was begun under Arducius de Faucigny, the prince-bishop of the Diocese of Geneva, around 1160. It was originally built in Romanesque style and was completed a hundred years later in Gothic style. A Neo-Classical main facade was added in the 18th century.

The area beneath the Cathedral has recently been excavated extensively, revealing a history of the site dating back to the time of the Roman Empire. From the 8th to 10th centuries it was one of three cathedrals to coexist on the site. The present building has grown from a cathedral devoted to ecclesiastical use and an early Christian funerary cult; the other two structures, subsumed in the 12th century by the growth of the surviving building, were apparently for different uses, one for public sacraments and the other for church teachings.

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.

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.

Bells

No.
  		Name
  		Year
  		Caster,
Gussort 		Durchmesser
(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 Toscin 1509 760 270 cis2 South

Further reading

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