Grossmünster
The Romanesque Grossmünster with it's distinctive twin towers is the principal parish church of Zürich and the starting point of the Reformation in Zurich under the guidance of Zwingli and Bullinger. Construction of Grossmünster commenced in 1100 and was completed around 100 years later.
The
stained glass windows in the choir are by Augusto Giacometti
and date from 1933. The images depict a Christmas scene. Unusually
for a reformed church, Mary is the dominate figure in the images
with the infant Jesus significantly smaller. The pulpit dates
from 1853. The Christening font also serves as the communion
table and dates from 1598.
The present organ in Grossmünster dates from 1960. The original was destroyed during the reforms instituted by Ulrich Zwingli in 1524. All those art works that were deemed "worldly" or not specifically mandated in scripture were to be removed from the Church and destroyed.
The crypt of Grossmünster is the oldest part of the Church. The poorly preserved wall paintings date from around 1500 and relate to the suffering of the Thebaic Legion and Felix and Regula. The monumental figure of Charlemagne was originally placed high up on the southern tower of Grossmünster but was brought into the crypt to protect him from the weather and replaced with a copy outside. The original dates from the 15th Century.
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