When I visited Geneva, we made a stop at Saint Pierre’s Cathedral in the center of the Old Town. I wanted to see it since it had some unusual architectural elements as well as Roman and Medieval church ruins under the church, which you can visit. The cost of the the underground museum is 8 euros or 8 Swiss francs. There is a walkway that takes you past the ruins of the three ancient churches, Calvin’s Chair when he was the Pastor of the Church, and ends at the Roman ruins, specifically a mosaic floor. The land where the Cathedral sits has been occupied since at least the 300′s.
You will find a confusion of architectural styles at the Cathedral. Primarily, you will find Romanesque, Gothic, and Neoclassical styles on the exterior and the interior. The interior is rather stark since the Calvinists did not believe in religious images so they took out the statues, alters, paintings, and furniture and whitewashed over the murals. Only the stained glass windows remain. The church is unique and has an ancient history, complete with underground ruins, so I found it worth a visit. See for yourself.
September 20th, 2011 at 7:06 am
Lovely background music! I loved seeing the excavations underground. What an amazing find! Thank you for sharing, and keep up the great videos.
Mary Ann
@enchantedtravel
September 20th, 2011 at 8:19 am
Thanks, Mary Ann, yep, it was a surprise. A lot of people blow off Geneva as another big city but I didn’t see it that way. However, I have a big interest in the work of U.N. so perhaps I’m an exception. Thanks for visiting again and being a regular. Cynthia