The Preacher’s Church

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If you are a church lover (like me!) and visiting Zurich, there are four churches that are must-sees!

The Grossmunster, the Fraumunster, the Church of St. Peter and the Predigerkirche.

Cloudy, drizzly day aren’t optimal for day trips outside of the city so I decided, instead, to head toward the train station and into the old town area of Zurich to seek out the two churches I had never visited on previous trips.

The Predigerkirche, the Preacher’s Church, was first built in 1231 AD as a Romanesque church, the largest in the city and converted in the first half of the 14th century when the choir was rebuilt and the high bell tower was added. Originally part of a monastery of the Dominican Order, the church appears to have been modeled after the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna which was the most important church of the Dominicans and where their founder, Saint Dominic was buried in 1221. The church is now used as the “open town church” or a place of encounter with its side aisles containing a library, easy chairs and a dining area for free Sunday lunches. It also employs a Catholic priest and celebrates joint masses with Muslims and Buddhists and is often the site of evening concerts.

With my excitement growing as I turned off of Limmatquai street and made my way up the hill, I could see the beautiful bell tower of the church which is regarded as the highest Gothic edifice in Zurich. As I arrived at the church on Zahringerplatz, however, I was a bit disappointed with the church’s plain facade. Though the high window-lined walls of the side and rear of the church were a bit more interesting, I simply could not believe that this was was the entrance, especially with its magnificent bell tower!

Entering the church, I was also a bit underwhelmed. Appearing to be elegant and modern at first glance, I began to walk around the space, hoping for more detail. The high arched ceiling caught my attention and lent to the lofty atmosphere along with the wide, square columns which divided the space. Although the ceiling was decorated with light gold rosettes and molding, it was quite disappointing combined with the plain altar. Beautiful in its own right…I guess I am used to the extravagantly decorated churches of Italy!

As I turned to the rear of the church, the magnificent organ in the gallery caught my eye. Now, this piece definitely gives the church a bit of extravagance. I had noticed that there were other smaller organs scattered throughout the church but this pipe organ, built by Paul Hintermann and Jakob Schmidt, is the showstopper. It was installed in 1970, after the original (1503) was broken during the Reformation struggle and the replacement (1879), was deemed unworthy.

Another piece that caught my eye along the outer perimeter of the church was the grave plate of Heinricus de Ruchentstein, a ministerial member of the House of Rappersil and dates back to 1270. The grave plate is the oldest surviving piece of this kind and the oldest surviving grave plate in Switzerland. It is notable due to its arrangement of the inscription, the absence of the date and a cross.

Exiting the church, I made my way out into the streets of the Neumarkt quarter. Though I was a bit disappointed with my time at the Predigerkirche, it was still an interesting visit and I was glad that I had made my way into this part of the city. Certainly, I couldn’t skip out on seeing the final two of the main churches of the city.

Now, it was off to find St. Peter’s!

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Predigerkirche Zurich

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