This Romanesque and Gothic cathedral was, according to legend, founded by Charlemagne, whose horse bowed down on the spot marking the graves of three early Christian martyrs. The cathedral has two three-story towers and is situated on a terrace above Limmatquai, on the right bank. Despite the legend, construction actually began in 1090 and additions were made until the early 14th century....The cathedral is dedicated to the patron saints of Zurich: Felix, Regula, and Exuperantius. In the 3rd century, the three martyrs attempted to convert the citizens of Turicum (the original name for Zurich) to Christianity. The governor, according to legend, had them plunged into boiling oil and forced them to drink molten lead. The trio refused to renounce their faith and were beheaded. Miraculously, they still had enough energy to pick up their heads and climb to the top of a hill (the present site of the cathedral), where they dug their own graves and then interred themselves.
The doors to the Grossmunster.
Details from the doors -- the three saints.
Charlemagne, I believe.
Bullinger, who took over from the reformer Zwingli, and solidified worship practices in Zurich, influencing civil practice as well.
The old crypt, underneath the main church.
The original statue of Charlemagne (taller than me), which once sat outside the church on a high tower, but who was brought into the crypt for better preservation; a reproduction now sits in his place above. The informational pamphlet repeatedly apologizes for his unattractiveness, but I find him rather charming, in a rough-hewn sort of way. Very kingly.
I strongly recommend paying your two francs and climbing up inside one of the stone towers; the approach up is a little claustrophobic (and more than a little tiring), but the view from the top is spectacular -- a three-sixty vision of the red roofs of Zurich.
Do you see the ferris wheel in the photo on the left? If you travel just a little further to the left, you'd reach the studio where Kevin and I are staying.
They don’t make martyrs like they used to, that’s for sure.