St. Peter's Cathedral (Geneva)
The Cathedral of St. Peter ( French: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre ) is the Reformed main church of the city of Geneva named after the Apostle Peter and the Église Protestante de Genève . Before the Reformation it was the cathedral of the Bishop of Geneva .
history
The construction of the three-aisled pillar basilica began around 1160 in Romanesque style, was completed a hundred years later in Gothic style and in the 18th century one of the classicistic columns portico in front of the main facade was added. On August 8, 1535, after a sermon by Guillaume Farel , who proclaimed the principles of the Reformation , the statues and furniture of the cathedral were destroyed in an iconoclasm and the colored paintings were whitewashed. Then Jean Calvin worked for 23 years as a preacher at the now reformed cathedral.
1400–1405 the Maccabees chapel was built in the Flamboyant Gothic style at the instigation of Cardinal de Brogny . After it was used as a storage room in the course of the Reformation and as a three-storey teaching building from the 17th to the 19th centuries, it was thoroughly restored by 1888.
On Pentecost Saturday , May 30, 2020, a Catholic mass was to be celebrated in the cathedral for the first time in almost 485 years as a sign of ecumenical hospitality . Due to COVID-19 , the celebration was only postponed from February 29, 2020 to May 30, 2020, but could not be celebrated again due to the pandemic. The celebration has been postponed to 2021.
Furnishing
The interior has a rich sculptural decoration, especially on the capitals .
Organs
At the suggestion of long-time titular organist Pierre Segond , the cathedral received a new organ in 1965 . The instrument was built by the organ builder Metzler & Sons (Dietikon). The modern organ case was designed by the architect Poul-Gerhard Andersen (Copenhagen). The disposition is based on North German organs of the 17th century and French-Baroque instruments. The instrument has 67 registers on four manuals and a pedal . The Spieltrakturen are mechanically, the Registertrakturen electrically.
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- Coupling: I / II, III / II, IV / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
The cathedral also has a Walcker organ in the Maccabees Chapel from 1889 and a small choir organ from 1970.
Bells
Eight ringable bells from the 15th to the 21st century hang in the two towers . In 1897 four bells were tuned up to a semitone lower. In 1946 the system was electrified by the Muff company from Triengen. The smallest bell, Le Rappel, can be operated manually using a cable pull. It can be heard as a soloist, for example, at the national celebration or shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve. Bell 2 rings at noon at 12 noon. Every Saturday at 7 p.m. and on Sundays before the service at 10 a.m., the Sunday bells sound from bells 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. La Clémence (1) is added on high holidays. The 19-part carillon and the cloche des Heures (hour bell) are housed in the openwork tower helmet.
No. |
Surname |
Casting year |
Giesser, casting location |
Diameter (mm) |
Mass (kg) |
Nominal |
tower |
1 | La Clémence | 1902 | H. Rüetschi , Aarau | 2190 | 6238 | g 0 | North |
2 | L'Accord | 1845 | S. Treboux, Vevey | 1560 | 2080 | c 1 | south |
3 | La Bellerive | 1473 | Nicolas Guerci | 1400 | 1500 | e 1 | North |
4th | La Collavine | 1609 | 1140 | 1012 | g 1 | south | |
5 | L'Espérance | 2002 | H. Rüetschi, Aarau | 930 | 475 | a 1 | south |
6th | L'Eveil | 1845 | S. Treboux, Vevey | 750 | 261 | c 2 | south |
7th | Le Rappel | 15th century | 590 | 133 | e 2 | south | |
I |
La Cloche des Heures | 1460 | 1290 | 1610 | e 1 | Spire | |
II |
Le Toscin | 1509 | 760 | 270 | c sharp 2 | south |
Surroundings
Next to the cathedral is the 15th-century Temple de l'Auditoire , which was used by Johannes Calvin and Théodore de Bèze as a lecture hall for theological lectures .
Excavations can be seen under the cathedral. These show that the church has a complex architectural history; church buildings go back to the 4th century.
Underneath, the remains of an Allobrogian chief's grave were uncovered, which was the subject of cultic veneration for a long time.
literature
- Gérard Deuber: The Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Geneva (= Swiss Art Guide , Volume 721/722, Series 73). Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 2002, ISBN 3-85782-721-1 .
Web links
- Website of the Paroisse de Saint Pierre (French)
- The archaeological excavations under the cathedral (English and French)
- St. Peter's Cathedral (Geneva) on the ETHorama platform
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chapelle des Macchabées on ethorama.library.ethz.ch/de/node
- ↑ After the temporary suspension of mass by a council resolution on August 10, 1535, no more 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 the Cathedral of the Reformed , Deutschlandfunk , May 31, 2020.
- ↑ Continue to wait for a historical event , Domradio , June 2, 2020
- ↑ More information about the organ
- ↑ a b Philippe Demolis: Les cloches de la cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Geneve. In: Federal Office for Culture FOC on Heritage Protection and Monument Preservation Section (Ed.): Bells - Lebendige Klangzeugen. Of témoins vivants and sunnies. Issue 5, UD Print, Lucerne 2008, pp. 173-185, ISSN 1660-6523 .
Coordinates: 46 ° 12 ′ 4 " N , 6 ° 8 ′ 55" E ; CH1903: 500,428 / 117449