Discover the Fraumünster church

The Fraumünster church is part of a former abbey whose cloister and abbey building were destroyed at the end of the 19th century. The complex came into being in 853, when King Ludwig the German decided to create a place that would be inhabited by women of the European nobility. Later, King Henry III conferred a number of privileges on the convent: the cloister had the right to mint Zurich's coins until the 13th century, and benefited from the collection of tolls.

Thanks to these various levers, the church grew considerably richer over time, as did the abbess, who became one of the most powerful figures in the city. At the time of the Reformation, the convent became the property of the city, and a large part of the artistic heritage it contained was lost. During this period, the pomp of churches was decried, and it was felt that the faithful should not be distracted during their prayers by any artifice in places of worship. As a result, churches were practically bare during this period.

Later, in the 20th century, stained glass windows by ****Marc Chagall and ****Augusto Giacometti were installed, creating a clever mix of genres between modern and ancient Christian works.

From the outside, Fraumünster church is surprisingly sober and elegant, with its large golden clock and slender green spire pointing towards the clouds. Although the interior is rather simple, the church's main claim to fame is its modern stained glass windows. The windows in the north window, entitled "Heavenly Paradise", were created in 1945 by Augusto Giacometti, the uncle of the famous Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti.

The five stained glass windows in the choir and the rose window to the south of the transept are the work of Marc Chagall. You may notice the myriad colours and symbolic complexity that characterise Chagall's work. There is also a series of frescoes by Paul Bodmer in the cloister, depicting the legend of the founding of the cloister and the patron saints of the town, Felix Regula.

Another not-to-be-missed feature inside the place of worship is the imposing organ, with no fewer than 5,793 pipes, making it the largest in Canton Zurich.