St. Pierre Cathedral

St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland, was built as a Roman Catholic cathedral, but became a Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva church during the Reformation. 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.

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
The Cathedral Church of St Peter
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
LocationGeneva
CountrySwitzerland
DenominationProtestant Church of Geneva
Previous denominationRoman Catholic
TraditionCalvinist
WebsiteSt. Pierre Cathedral
History
StatusParish church
Founded4th century
DedicationPeter the Apostle
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationSwiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
StyleGothic
The nave of St. Pierre Cathedral

History

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, in Gothic style. The interior of the large, cruciform, late-gothic church was stripped of its rood screen, side chapels, and all decorative works of art, leaving a vast, white-washed interior that contrasts sharply with the interior of surviving medieval churches in countries that continued to be part of the Roman Catholic Church. A Neo-Classical main facade was added in the 18th century. In the 1890s, Genevans redecorated a large, side chapel adjacent to the cathedral's man doors in polychrome, gothic revival style. 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.

On Whit Saturday, 30 May 2020, after nearly 485 years[1] a Catholic mass was to be celebrated in the cathedral as a symbol of ecumenical hospitality the first time again.[2] Because of COVID-19, the celebration was first postponed from 29 February 2020 to 30 May 2020, but could again not be celebrated because of the pandemic. The celebration was postponed to 2021.[3]

Bells
Chapelle of St. Pierre Cathedral
No.
 		 Name
 		 Year
 		 Caster,
Gussort		 Durchmesser
(mm)		 Mass
(kg)		 Strike tone
 		 Tower
 
1La Clémence1902H. Rüetschi, Aarau21906238g0North
2L'Accord1845S. Treboux, Vevey15602080c1South
3La Bellerive1473Nicolas Guerci14001500e1North
4La Collavine160911401012g1South
5L'Espérance2002H. Rüetschi, Aarau930475a1South
6L'Eveil1845S. Treboux, Vevey750261c2South
7Le Rappel15th century590133e2South
ILa Cloche des Heures146012901610e1Spire
IILe Tocsin1509760270cis2South
  • 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

Further reading
  • Bonnet, Charles (February 1987), "The Archaeological Site of the Cathedral of Saint Peter (Saint-Pierre), Geneva", World Archaeology, Taylor & Francies, Ltd, 18 (3): 330–340, doi:10.1080/00438243.1987.9980010, JSTOR 124589

References
  1. 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)
  2. Catholic Mass in Cathedral of the Reformed (in German), Deutschlandfunk, 31 May 2020.
  3. Still waiting for a historical event (German), Domradio, 2 June 2020
Images
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