Saint Pierre Cathedral in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

is a historic church in

. It was originally a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

cathedral but became a

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

Church in 1535. It is known as the adopted home church of

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

, one of the leaders of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

. Inside the church is a wooden chair used by Calvin.

History

Below the cathedral is an accessible archaeological site that includes a 1st-century BC tomb of an ancient Allobrogian chieftain. An

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

erected on the hill of Saint-Pierre allowed them to control the inland navigation on the Rhône. In the 4th century AD, Geneva became the seat of a bishopric. The first Christian edifice was built on the hill (between 350 and 375), on the ruins of the Roman sanctuary. This “northern cathedral” and a first baptistry were soon complemented by a southern cathedral, a second baptistry and an atrium. After a fire struck the north cathedral in the year 500, King Sigismund of Burgundy rebuilt it and asked Pope Symmachus to bring him the relics of St Peter. The present building was begun under Arducius de Faucigny, the

prince-bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the ...

of the Diocese of Geneva, around 1160,"Saint-Pierre Cathedral", Ville de Genève
/ref> 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''. At the time of the Reformation, the interior of the large, cruciform, late-gothic church was stripped of its

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

, 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. In the 1890s, Genevans redecorated a large, side chapel adjacent to the cathedral's main doors in a

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and ...

gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style.

Theodore Beza Theodore Beza (; or ''de Besze''; 24 June 1519 – 13 October 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a disciple of John Calvin and lived most ...

, French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar, and successor to

, was buried at St. Pierre in 1605.

Present day

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 a

Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ ...

was to be celebrated in the cathedral as a symbol of

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

hospitality. Because of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, 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."The Nocturnes de St-Pierre", Cathedrale Saint-Pierre Geneve
/ref>

Bells

Gallery

Image: Geneva saint peter 2.JPG, Spire of St. Pierre Cathedral Image: Cathedral St. Pierre at Night.JPG, Front entrance of the Cathedral at night Image: Calvin's Chair.JPG,

's chair Image: Jet d'Eau - Geneva - Switzerland - September 2005 - 03.jpg,

Jet d'Eau The Jet d'Eau (, ''Water-Jet'') is a large fountain in Geneva, Switzerland and is one of the city's most famous landmarks, being featured on the city's official tourism web site and on the official logo for Geneva's hosting of group stage match ...

from the north tower of the Cathedral File: Plafond de la chapelle des Maccabées 3.jpg, Ceiling of the Maccabees Chapel File:Chapelle des Macchabées (47623232361).jpg, Chapelle of St. Pierre Cathedral

References

External links

Official St Pierre Cathedral website
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Izi.travel: Cathedral visitor's guide
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Rawle.org: Aerial view of entire CathedralUCLA.edu: Cathedral's stained glass windows
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Geneva Cathedral Cathedral Peter John Calvin Tourist attractions in Geneva Gothic architecture in Switzerland Geneva Cathedral Neoclassical church buildings in Switzerland